Nightfall's Rain
by Mike256bit
Summary: Drama, magic, friskiness. That's what the kids are all about. When Ryouko has the mother of all breakdowns, what solutions and consequences arise after the entire family is pulled into a struggle to stay sane?
1. Prologue

Her soul was fed by the pain, strife and machinations of a madman, her life held together only by the whims of her mother. When Washu's efforts fail her, however, what consequences, exploration and solutions will birth from Ryouko and her family trying to rise from the shambles?

-o-

Nightfall's Rain  
A Tenchi Muyo! based fanfic. 

**ACHTUNG!  
**

Note as of 03.26.05: This is the absolute final revision. It's been _YEARS_ since I finished on this piece, and frankly, I can't keep looking at it. Any mistakes henceforth will be recognized, but I won't change them. So don't say a damn thing. :D Also, I might finish this fic's sequel this year. If I don't, I probably won't finish it at all. I'm growing up, after all. :( But I'm not old enough for stupid emoticons! As long as they no longer look like this: Ew. Get that away from me.

New disclaimer: I own one character. Pioneer owns Tenchi and the gang.

New warning: R Extreme themes! Full version available at AFF, you sassy cats.

Title 17 is in effect, so no intellectual property effect, young man! 

A final word (warning?):

The actions herein are controversial at times, but it's all there to tell a story. Moreover, I went through great pains to comb out the sex-scenes to make it passable for this archive. Nothing _hardcore_ happens in this version, so it isn't a lemon. Lo and behold, I actually wanted to show you something that didn't implicitly involve love-making. You won't sound smart by telling me I suck just because you don't morally agree with something. There are things in here that _I absolutely cringe at_. This isn't WAFF, (though I do like the occasional feeling). Keep an open mind. If you made it this far, then you're probably going to be okay. Have fun.

Also, just for JWM: I'm aware. Why do you think I was removed last time?

Here we go!

-o-

**Nightfall's Rain  
****Prologue**

A splash hit the roof of the Masaki home, stationed way out in the peacefully untouched reaches of Okayama. The scattered stars shone down as Ryouko looked out towards the city of Kobe, lights blazing far, far out on the horizon. They flickered in and out like small candles set in the hills by God above. Her vision blurred again as another tear streaked down her face in a soft, shimmering path. It fell off her cheek and spiraled down to the roof, disintegrating as the clouds began to gather above.

Ryouko cried out again as her eyes spilled over with a pellucid glow, bringing more salty tears to run down the silky, satin like skin of her face. It was her determination that her skin was that of satin; no one else seemed to want to verify. More drops came down upon the roof, however, not from her apparent agony. The girl looked wearily up to the sky as the clouds merged, stealing away her starry nightlights as quickly as the rain cascaded down, slowly but steadily developing into a downpour.

Ryouko absently wiped her tears away, not making a difference as the rain began to sheet down upon her. Although impervious to weather and temperature, there was always something that made her uneasy about rain.

The thunder rolled across the hills and a crack of energy came slicing down. It was the lightning; Ryouko couldn't stand the fiery crack of the sky's wrath. Once more, she sobbed out a hated name, briefly asking why she did this to herself before cursing and phasing through the roof, the third floor hallway and into the spare room below. Once there, she stuck out her tongue in a shiver of discomfort as her wet clothing gripped to her, generously outlining her voluptuous figure. Feeling rather "icky", as she might say, she disappeared from the confines of her garments and sighed as the cool air of the room ran over her nude form. She tipped her head, hearing the damp slosh of her soaked blue and yellow dress tumbling out of the air and to the floor.

Almost forgetting her troubles, she grinned at the thought of Tenchi bursting in unexpectedly. It was something she playfully toyed with night by night, knowing well enough that it would never happen. Tenchi was as predictable as the alphabet. Had it been done, it would usually be to yell at her, or, in her delusional perception of his feelings for her, to just be a little naughty.

"Oh Tenchi!" she said to herself as she covered her chest and nether regions, "what are you doing here? Have you been spying on me? Oh you naughty little boy!" Caught in a mid sly grin, she relaxed to the sight of a still-closed door and a still-darkened room. She reluctantly realized the improbability of this as it was two in the morning. Not so much that it was an impossibility, but countless nights of watching told her that her Tenchi was a sound sleeper. Dropping her lanky arms to her sides, she stood slouching a tad as the remaining moisture rose from her warming body.

The solution? Get wet again, of course.

"I can't even give myself a break," she mumbled irritably as she grabbed a towel and a few bath supplies. What she needed was to relax.

-o-

Ryouko stepped into the bath, taking in the startlingly vast interior of the interdimensional onsen, sighing a deep, long and apathetic breath. In her sour mood, her favorite pastime seemed much drearier than usual. She waded into the beach-like shore of the water and stared up at the night sky through the transparent dome above her. She unwrapped her towel and flung it onto a nearby plant. Admiring her figure a moment longer, she lay down in the water and stared up to the moon's residence once again. 

The hampered clink of the rain on the dome above filled the room as thin rays of the Night Watchman made their way through the thick gray clouds and to a sublunary resting spot. Ryouko flinched as dimmed flashes of lightning pulled over the clouds, brightening the sky above. Her eyelids began to grow heavy as the hypnotic sounds of the water washed over the glass high above mixed with that of the streams flowing far below. She finally closed her eyes with a soft breath, jerking them open a moment when thunder rolled over the hillsides. She frowned, shuddering slightly. Without a yawn or a stretch, she began slipping away as her muscles relaxed to putty. Her head dropped to the left side as she fell away to sleep, the water washing up and stopping just below her eye. She mumbled, exhaling ripples across the stilling waters, the sounds of the active night draining away.

"Kagato. . ."


	2. Friends

All previous notes apply.

**Chapter One  
"Friends"**

Ryouko's eyes slipped closed as a power more effective than any drug kicked in. Who was this meanie holding her so tightly and so "icky"ly? Like a prize - a most undeserved prize at that; for she knew very well that only her mommy deserved her that much. After all, Washu would reassure her of that so very, very often. This one, this _thing_ carting her off, smelled bad, too - sort of like the goldfish she cried over as it was flushed down the toilet to a burial at sea that one summer.

Oh darnit, not Goldie-ohki!

It surely wasn't mommy; there was always warmth when mommy held her in her tender arms. She wasn't held like a football when mommy had her tight but caring grasp around her; she wasn't held so her ribs hurt and her neck bounced her head around like a racquetball.

No, it was a steel grip. . . like a bear trap.

_Oh no. . . I must have been bad_, her mind mumbled to her in her cloudy thoughts, a scolding mock in its unheard tone. What had she done this time? This was nothing like the customary slap on the behind or the light scolding she was used to getting. This was scary, to say the least. Why did mommy stop loving her?

Looking back through slits, unable to keep her eyes open as she was bounced violently on the "bear trap's" shoulder, she saw what appeared to be Washu, screaming her name as the tall and muscular man stole her away.

_ She's telling him to take me away. . ._

"Mommy. . ." was all she was able to let slip from her lips before her brain succumbed to victimization. She was sorry, she really was! Why was she forsaken?

Ryouko reluctantly lifted her head in the chance to escape that inauspicious memory; a terrible memory that plagued her every so often, almost as a punishment for trying to escape her gray confines by running to a world of sleep. It could take only the most intrepid soul to be able to withstand what she had to endure - a god to be unfazed. Ryouko, on the other hand, was shattered through and through. Mother had abandoned her so readily, and moreover, so easily. . .

A few years later, perhaps between the ages of seventeen and one hundred seventy, Ryouko had come to despise the name of her master, Kagato. He was a malignant malefactor; a perfidious satanic fuckhead for whom she felt only the worst of things. He treated her like dirt but she remained under his control and in a chronology that seemed to have removed eons between now and when she had been stolen from her mother. At least, she hoped she was stolen. To have been given up would have been to rip her soul in two, tearing it at the tiny thread onto which it so desperately hung.

"Washu . . ." she whispered. She shuddered at the thought of all the evil and corrupt things she was forced into doing, all for the benefits she never got the chance to reap. Villages burned, citizens murdered, capitals demolished. . . races made extinct. Thievery, pain, genocide. However under his hand as she was, she didn't like it one bit, force to bear a smile in the name of the deed. Washu taught her to be a good little girl. . . but her memory of her mother was slowly slipping away as the anger and rage took over her craving mind.

Anger and rage were often easier to deal with – it's hard to be sensible when you're screaming bloody murder – as there's less ability to make rational thoughts or to overanalyze. That's where the real pain was: in reviewing things and seeing exactly what one did so wrong that they were scorned for life. Thus, clouding the self with the thickness of strife and contempt offered for fewer things to stop the body and get in its way. Isn't pain grand?

Ryouko sat in her sect, adorned with nothing but a cot and dull gray walls, brooding about the recent occurrences. She'd never in her life felt so violated, used or defective. After a bloody massacre born of simple theft, Kagato took it upon himself to reward her by feeling her in places and it ways she'd never allow even herself to do under any circumstances. They weren't things that made people feel good, no matter who committed the act. Had it progressed any further. . . Ryouko only cried at the bitter thought. Had Kagato's ship not alerted him of half the Galaxy Police on his trail, perhaps he may have taken it as far as to rape her senseless.

_Hah_, she laughed bitterly in thought. Was it still not rape? He'd stolen so much of hers. . . and so much of her. He took her soul. Rape transcends the human body, (or even the inhuman body). Life itself could be ravished as badly as a flower struck by a hurricane.

"The sick fuck. . ." she sniffled to herself. Her faded and subtle cyan, spiked hair folded back into a minor mess of tangles where he had grabbed her and whipped her away. It retained a bumpy, unwashed flow before it converged in sharp ends. She rubbed her left shoulder, sucking in a jagged breath as she remembered the burn with which the slide across the bridge floor had left her. He threw her so hard and fast, without a care in the world; like someone would discard a broken toy.

She dropped her hand and her head, unsteadily releasing the air. She jerked forward as it ended in a stripped cough, feeling a small dollop of blood running down her smooth lower lip. Wheezing a bit, she rested her tired arms on her propped up knees, staring at the green and purple swirls that swam out of the lackluster floor. The drop suspended there for a moment at the edge of her lip before spilling down and staining the skin from there to her chin.

She relaxed back as she ran a hand up the black spandex-like material. It was a sort of porous, light and easily malleable leather, but still solid and with sheen. She slid her fingers over her legs, staring darkly at what she was forced to wear. It mattered not how much she would enjoy wearing it in the heat of battle about two thousand years later, but now she knew it was about what Kagato wanted to see. She pulled all but her index fingers back into fists as she traced along and above her slightly sore crotch. She winced, but followed the raven color up her front.

Ryouko trailed along where the inkiness branched out under her breasts. She absently pulled her fingers further as the black thinned and meshed with the deep red. Dropping her left hand back to her side, she let her right hand go up over her left shoulder, pressing painfully where a few holes had made their way into the material. She cried out a bit, her gloved fingers bringing a heavy friction to the ripped skin.

She licked where the blood had quickly dried on her lip, tasting the faint acidic tinge it had. She took her hand off her aching shoulder and held it out, produced an orange ball that she casually shifted into an energy sword. A snarl formed as she phased to her feet, screeching through gritted teeth.

"I hate you!" She screamed again as she swiveled around and sliced down on the slick dull wall. She was not surprised to hear a clang as the energy was repelled, causing a hum to kick up and die back down. She was violently forced back, but strong legs held her in a near-solid stance. Still crying, she released her grip on the sword to see it evaporate into nothing as she dropped back to the floor, scooting up against the opposite wall near her cot, narrowing her eyes in pensive thoughts of indignation. Thinking every obscenity toward her hated leader was an understatement – if capable, she thought of obscenities not yet existent.

The lights above flickered and dimmed as a buzz poured into the air. She stood on aching legs, her back still against the cold wall. She took no notice to where her skin touched the chilling panel, despite the goose bumps it left on her arms and neck. She only heard the drone get louder and hollowed. It filled the room as it filled her head with a painful familiarity. She brought her hands up to her ears, covering them as she closed her eyes, trying to banish the static-like sound. She felt a slight gust of wind as the buzz exploded into a tearing sound, bolts of green diving into the air as a sphere formed. She whimpered, feeling her knees weaken and buckle a bit under her tired strain.

"Not again. . ." Ryouko whispered harshly, her voice a breath under the heavy din.

"But Ryouko," a deep rumble called, "why not happy to see your beloved master?" Kagato stepped through the green abyss, readjusting his spectacles. "You seem so unhappy. . . little Ryouko." He reached out to her, suddenly dropping his leering grin. "Come. Follow me." Ryouko slid back onto the bed to the far corner, feeling tiny despite the small room. She was terrified.

"I-I don't want to. . ."

"Oh, but you will. Just as you always do. You never want but you always _do_." He smiled crookedly, showing unbalanced bits of his teeth as his outstretched hand crackled with energy. "It's the story of your life. What you feel, want or desire has little effect on how you live and how you'll ultimately die. After all, do _you_ control your destiny?"

Ryouko winced.

"Answer me. . ."

She looked down at her listless hands, breaths halted by brief sobs. "No."

"Who does?" He tipped his head back a little to look down at her through his specs, seeing her get to her knees.

"The gods! Fate! Anyone but _you_!"

Kagato gave a passive laugh as the idle energy suddenly streaked from his hand and surged through her already abused body. "Again I tell you: I do. You certainly _are_ defective, little Ryouko. You just don't learn." Ryouko shrieked and writhed, curling the sheet around her fists as he stepped closer, reaching out for her. "I could kill you instantly," he whispered lowly, almost more to himself as though it were on his 'to do' list. He sent a pulse into the torrent, causing her to scream until she became hoarse, her cry coming out like a dry heave.

"But I like to see you suffer. It's not so much that I'm a bad guy. . . but it reminds us both of who's in charge." He stopped and scooped up the badly burned and pained girl into his arms and grinned cruelly. "Who's in command, my Little Ryouko? How many times will we go through this endless symphony?"

His use of the phrase 'little Ryouko' only made her moan in the ache of loss. Tears once more burst from her eyes as she went limp in his arms. He leaned over, kissing the salty drops from her face as she cried out again in the agony of his mistreatment, not even with the willpower to look him in the eyes.

"You are. . ."

He smiled, stepping back into the portal with his prize in hand. "Good girl."

-o-

"Meet Sugisawa Mitsuko. She's going to be your new playmate." Ryouko was set down uneasily and immediately collapsed to her knees. "Have fun." Kagato vanished as Ryouko weakly looked upon the other inhabitant of the room. Well, it was unfair to say it was just a room; a ballroom, maybe. Columns and stained glass windows lined the walls as the room reached into infinity. It stretched back into a dark void behind the figure that was perhaps five or six meters away. She looked to be in her early twenties, and had long, flowing, purple hair tied back in a thick ponytail. It was so beautiful and taken care of, managing to shimmer even in the dim light from flood lights high, high, _high_ above. Atop her head were feathered bangs of a crown of violet, long strips of hair sweeping down in front of her ears.

They lay to rest gently on a modest bust line, a tight fitting pure black jump suit giving a little deserved help to her shy figure. At least she appeared shy, maybe as scared as Ryouko was. It was probably their only similarity as this girl was apparently far more treasured. Her soft, friendly smile put Ryouko at ease, though, the notion of a companion chipping through all the jagged mental blocks Ryouko put up in her attempts at complete isolationism.

Of course, it didn't last once Ryouko's gaze came upon her friend's unsettling vacant stare. She was clearly not with a will of her own and was most likely under total submission to that nefarious fiend. At least Ryouko could think - this one was a robot, almost. She had faded rose eyes, which eerily enhanced her overall message of being a little scary. If it were under different circumstances, which probably wouldn't result in this pairing to begin with, Ryouko would have gladly been this girl's friend. Everyone needs friends, right?

Ryouko used to have friends. Of course, their faces are now a blur, just as her mother's was. Ever her mother was a friend. Her best friend, even. The only friend Ryouko had now was little Ryou-ohki. Ryouko's troubles went away at the thought of her cabbit confidante, the one Kagato introduced to her only days ago. Of course, it was under strict order that Ryou-ohki was a tool just as Ryouko was, and that Ryouko couldn't _always_ see Ryou-ohki.

But it was enough to get Ryouko by.

But this girl. . . the way that vile snake Kagato joined them and by the opaque look on Mitsuko's face, Ryouko nearly cowered in fear. The pirate approached warily, having slowly risen to her feet when the pain in her knees wasn't so great. It didn't _feel_ like a good idea to go near this girl but she was compelled nonetheless. Smiling weakly in return, Ryouko gave a modest wave as Mitsuko tipped her head to the side a little, giving her the appearance of an airhead rather than a wicked beast.

"Do you have a favorite game?" Mitsuko asked swiftly, a surreal inflection to her voice. There was a double-echo, too, which ran a shiver down Ryouko's spine. At least she didn't speak in monotone, but her voice sounded programmed regardless of how curious, demanding or even playful the girl sounded. She was beginning to frighten Ryouko and it took a lot besides the will of Kagato to do that.

"No. . ." Ryouko mumbled in a quiet lie. The only games she had left were math games, actually. When she had nothing else to do, she considered prime number lines and proofs for geometry and short algebraic equations. At first she did it to try to calculate how much room she had in her sect to swordplay without hitting those walls or her bed. Hitting her bed demolished it and earned her a severe beating - if Kagato was in a good mood anyway. The walls could throw her across the room if she hit them hard enough.

In a way, it was also a way to try to keep grasp of Washu. Washu was a stickler for mathematics and yelled and screamed when Ryouko messed up the easy ones. Then again, the easy ones started out as calculus and quantity equations. Washu eventually figured that even herself at five or six couldn't do them right, or even do them. When the easy ones became dimensional and algebraic, Washu could be proud and Ryouko could feel so smart. And she was - she was Washu's offspring, after all. Professor and Goddess Washu's offspring at that.

It was hard at first, without any paper or anything at all to scribble on. Thankfully, however, the fact that she couldn't write stuff down helped to exercise her mind and memory and kept her sharp on the job. Though the jobs weren't to her liking, the better she did them, the less Kagato hurt her. Math was fun, and Ryouko would trade it only for Ryou-ohki's company.

"I like to play." Mitsuko finished curtly as she began to walk to Ryouko.

"_What_ do you like to play?" Ryouko asked, her curiosity building. Mitsuko's slow advance matched Ryouko's before the one in black was gone entirely. Ryouko stopped in puzzlement, knowing that even her phasing ability was stopped by the powers of the Soja. They were in the Soja, weren't they?

Ryouko tried vainly to dislocate, but her failing attempts were cut short when Mitsuko reappeared as quickly as she'd gone, centimeters from Ryouko. She hopped back in surprise, her shock aided by the fact that Mitsuko had returned nude. A quick veil of spite fell over her as she came to understand just what Kagato wanted. Adrenaline firing through her body, she found the willpower to shift, and appeared high above Mitsuko with a snarl. She raised her left hand high, pulling down an orange ball that transformed in the wink of an eye to a quarterstaff.

"Back off, freak!" She lowered, touching the floor gently with the tips of her feet. Mitsuko only smiled as she turned and approached.

"I'm afraid your powers are useless against me," she said as she steadily neared Ryouko. "All you can do is summon your power. You won't hurt me in the least." She stopped when Ryouko whipped her quarterstaff around, aiming with deathly precision at the spot below Mitsuko's slightly lower chin.

"That's what they all say before I slice them in half, oddball." With a swift swipe, Ryouko twirled and brought the light-staff around into the united spot between Mitsuko's shoulder and head – you know, the neck. It, however, instantly passed through her like a hand through still waters. "Hey! What's going on!" She frantically stepped back, throwing the sword into the air, where it blinked out of existence, and began to produce smaller energy spheres, whipping them at Mitsuko. Again, they went through her like she wasn't there, dividing a surreal facade. They went by and to the back wall, being absorbed in little glowing orange circles. Ryouko's hands crackled together as she scowled in frustration. She threw a ball to the floor, seeing the same siphoning effect. "Why isn't it working!" She turned away from Mitsuko, feeling a drain strike her life force, causing her to slow as she neared the corner of the room. She couldn't build the power to fly or produce any more of an attack.

Her eyes widened as she realized she'd been trapped very easily.

"It's simple, Ryouko. This is a muted room. The room is influence with the energy frequency of your genetic make-up. All energy attacks will have no adverse affects on me and by the same token, are only draining you. They're absorbed into these walls," she said, almost marveling. "A brain-child of a genius, I'd say. Everything you put out it takes in, nullifying it. You can't hurt _me_ because all your attacks are being pulled in by the room."

Ryouko's eyes narrowed before she dropped back to her knees. "You're lying!" Ryouko swung the last of her punches, cringing as her aggressor easily caught it.

"Also, any energy expended is transferred into my potential and kinetic energy structures, making me stronger." Mitsuko took Ryouko by the wrist and lifted her off the ground, arousing a yelp as she squeezed tightly. "And making you helpless."

Ryouko screamed and tried to kick. "You're _lying_! Stop it!" Mitsuko pulled her higher and consequently closer, sliding her other hand around Ryouko's slender waist and onto her tightened buttocks. Ryouko's pupils minimized to pencil points as a violated gasp came from her throat. Mitsuko shifted her thigh to between Ryouko's legs, pressing up a little before a slap flew across the predator's face, making her reel and lose her grip on her captive barring the hand crushing Ryouko's wrist. Mitsuko laughed a bit as Ryouko's free hand attempted to come back around, but she simply threw her to the ground.

"You're only making it worse, Ryouko." Mitsuko's hand began to spark with a green glow. "Now phase out of your clothing."

"No. . . You can't make me!" Ryouko began to form another energy saber, however, it came out needle thin before it fizzled away. "Stay away. . ." Mitsuko blasted Ryouko mercilessly, grinning sinisterly.

"You wouldn't believe how much this is turning me on. . ." she said, hinting downward. Indeed, Mitsuko's sadism had caused a sheen to form, making a small part of her pale inner thighs shimmer. Ryouko screamed, radiating the sickly green until she could scream no more and lay there helpless. "Phase."

"I. . . I can't. . ."

Mitsuko got on her fours over Ryouko, her previous smile a shining beacon of futility. "Then I will do it the hard way," she giggled, caressing Ryouko's frightened and quivering face, tracing a finger along her jaw line. "Which is, consequently, the fun way." Her hand slipped behind her neck and onto the back of Ryouko's head, lifting her up to meet Mitsuko's lips. Ryouko whimpered, trembling as Mitsuko's tongue suddenly found its way into meeting hers. Ryouko muttered a silent plea, scared and timid as she tried to shy away from her probing eagerness.

She felt an unbalanced and disturbed mixture stirring in her as her nipples began to tighten under her already constricting wares. She squirmed under Mitsuko's touch and felt a dampening between her legs. She cried out, scared out of her mind, and tried to fight Mitsuko off. However, now being the stronger of the two, she easily held Ryouko down. She moved back and looked coldly down on her captive, quite a feat with the lifelessness in her eyes. Her crown of violet darkened as she stared at her with a time-stopping gaze.

Ryouko shuddered as tears once more streaked her face. "Don't do this to me. . ."

"But you'll like it. Don't fight. After all," she soother, her grin remaining, "I don't wish to hurt you, I'm here to play. . ." She planted her hands on her sides, pulling them up to rest on Ryouko's breasts. Mitsuko sat straddling, leaning down to lick Ryouko's nose.

"Rr. . . No. . . stuh-stop!" Ryouko attempted to push Mitsuko off her but with the strike of a cobra's speed, Ryouko hands were held fast above her head in a glowing green ring.

"I said don't fight. . ." She lowered herself down on Ryouko and began kissing her neck, nipping a bit to make Ryouko yelp and yip. Mitsuko slowly began to knead, rolling her hands around in agonizingly slow circles. Ryouko moaned absently, falling away from conscious thought as Mitsuko pinched hold of her stiffening nipples though the soft material. Ryouko's breath began to quicken into panting when Mitsuko brought her mouth over her right breast, however covered it was, biting at the tip poking through.

She groaned and shivered guiltily, lifting her head slightly. "Wha-why are you do-doing this. . ."

Mitsuko ignored her and pulled her right hand downward as Ryouko's breath turned ragged. Her left hand squeezed fiercely, and a heavy bite ripped through Ryouko's jumpsuit. Cold air and saliva flowed and dripped in, arousing even more of a squirm as Mitsuko, smiling, slid her hand over her captive's hip to her quivering inner thigh. With a soft sough of a whisper to calm her down, she traced her crotch.

Ryouko whined through her closed lips and arched her back, shutting her eyes tight to escape the conscious world. Her mind fell away as she was left to breathing through her tightly clenched teeth while Mitsuko's fingers seemingly phased right through the jumpsuit. The ethereal seekers entered her, creating a feeling that liberated a piercing scream. Her eyes opened and she looked around exigently, looking for an escape.

Crabs were everywhere.


	3. Enemies

All previous notes apply.

**Chapter Two  
"Enemies"**

"Ugh, being the exhibitionist, are we, Ryouko?"

Ryouko's eyes opened, seeing the clear stretch of water before her. She looked up with her head still water-set, causing liquid to soak into the dry parts of her hair, and observed the tapping feet of the one who called her name. She turned her head to glance up, gasping for a moment, recoiling back into the water. "Mitsuko?"

Ayeka stood up from leaning over, still peering at Ryouko, and tightened her towel. "I don't know whom you are talking about, but please cover your vile self up," she muttered, fluttering her hand in the air. She 'hmph'ed' and crossed her arms. "And leave so that I may bathe in peace."

Ryouko sat up and rubbed her eyes, smirking. She dropped her hands back to her sides to keep her upright, a little splash rippling across the calm surfaces of the onsen. The water drained from her locks and into her shoulders. _Gaaawd, she is so typical! _Ryouko thought with a grin._ Talk about a broken record. I swear, she uses that 'royal we' crap more times than I care to recount._ "Oh, come now princess, you act like you want li'l ol' me to leave! Planning on bearing all?" Ryouko winked and got up, looking down at the purple haired Juraian. She narrowed her eyes but smiled, resting her hands on her hips. Ayeka, on the other hand, was not smiling. She was, however, turning a pleasant shade of red.

"_Miss_ Ryouko! When I- Hey! Stop that!" Ryouko desisted from shaking her chest comically as her innocent grin was abandoned for doubling over in laughter. She straightened in a fit of giggling, crossing her arms as she bared a renewed smirk. Growling, Ayeka stomped her foot.

"_When_ I ask you to leave, I assume you'll have the common decency to respect my wishes!"

"Whatever," Ryouko mumbled, displaced for a moment before she returned, clothed and with her hair tied back, and looped an arm around Ayeka, whispering into her ear. The prude looked at her hand in detest and shuddered back away from her as Ryouko spoke. "But watch the decibels this time. Don't think I didn't hear you last time with the previous. . . adventure you had with yourself."

Ayeka froze and began to boil, her icy glare melted in an instant as she shoved the pirate away and as she clutched her towel tight. "GET OUT!"

"Whoa! Chill of the caffeine princess, I'm already out the door." Laughing, Ryouko curtly gave Ayeka the finger and phased out of the room.

Ayeka slid into the water with a sour look. "Of all the nerve. . ." Producing a small vial of sake, she decided to give herself a boost before breakfast.

-o-

Tenchi woke up as the sunlight of a beautiful summer morning poured in from his skylight and splashed across his face. Smiling and opening his eyes, he almost screamed when two golden ones stared back at him. However, when the little cabbit on his chest 'miya'ed reassuringly, he was satisfied that it was not Ryouko.

This time.

"Oh Ryou-ohki," he sighed, patting her on the head, "you're almost as bad as Ryouko." He chuckled, gurking when a telltale fizzle in the air alerted him to one more presence.

"Oh, is she?" Ryouko suddenly shifting in above him, grinning. "Thought you wouldn't see me this time, hmm, Tenchi?"

He groaned and dropped back to his pillow as Ryou-ohki hopped off, as though to make room for her companion, and scampered out through the closed door. "Get off me Ryouko, I don't have time for this. I need to get ready."

"Oh but I can help, Tenchi! Help you shower, help you dress, help you in the physical act of love; you name it!" she exclaimed, smiling, her bright amber eyes shimmering with mischief. It was left unsaid that her hands were snaking down to commit to their own 'shimmer' of mischief.

Mumbling, he scooted back and against the headboard, sitting up. "How about you help me relax and leave me alone for five minutes?"

"Awww, you can't get rid of me that fast Ten-chi!" Ryouko purred, leaning forward, trying to kiss him. He looked around in his chagrin, seeking an escape when they were thankfully interrupted by the slide of his door.

"Getting your morning exercise, eh, Little Ryouko?"

Ryouko shuddered slightly and glared at Washu. "Damnit, Washu, go away!"

Tenchi suddenly hopped up, clad in semi-tented boxers and a tee shirt, forcing Ryouko back on her rear where she sat indignantly on the bed. Rambling, he walked swiftly to the door. "Hey look it's Washu-chan well that's just great keep her busy and I'll see ya!" Washu smiled innocently as Ryouko's disbelieving glare returned to her.

"What? I didn't do that," she slurred slightly, still groggy from the morning. A tired and lower tone hung on her voice as she wiped her eyes. She leaned against the doorframe, resting her free hand on her hip.

"Yeah, yeah, what do you need?"

"Sasami said breakfast is ready-" Suddenly, Kiyone's voice rang out.

"Put down my tea, Mihoshi!" Washu looked briefly out into the hall and around the corner, glancing down the eastern-side steps before she returned to see Ryouko stick her tongue out at her and silently phase down through the bed and floor. Washu chuckled as she closed the door, heading back down the steps before she gave a quick glance down the hall to the bathroom where Tenchi had probably already advanced to brushing his teeth.

Smiling, and feeling a little naughty herself - probably from the lack of sleep from the last two nights of maintenance work - she crept down the corridor past the rooms of both Ayeka and Mihoshi and stuck herself against the wall near the toilet door. A sinister, Washu-like grin slithered onto her face as she placed her hand on the bathroom's lock and quietly incinerated it. She slammed the door to the side with the speed of a lightning propelled genius and stuck her head inward in an overplayed bout of curiosity.

"Oh," she mumbled, seeing only Ryou-ohki scratching behind the toilet as though for a lost stash of carrots. "He already went down." She shut the door in disappointment, treading back down the hallway. "I didn't see him pass me. . . Either that kid has a trap door or his training is paying off." She paused for a moment before she hopped down the steps.

"Trap door."

Downstairs, Ryouko phased into a place at the table and cocked her head. "Where's Tenchi?"

Tenchi groaned from below her, raising a hand weakly to the side. "'An 'ou geth offa muh?"

Ayeka narrowed her eyes, a hiss splitting into her voice. "It's not even TV time and you're already causing trouble! Now get off him, you harridan!"

"Hey, since watching me do stuff to him is the closest _you'll_ get, ya don't gotta act all prissy about it!"

"Hey! Why you. . . grrrrr. . ." Ayeka slammed her hands down on the edge of the table and stood up, beginning to shake. "Why must you insinuate that I desire something as such so _much_? I AM NOT A WOMAN OF LOOSE MORALS!"

Sasami groaned, setting out the mountain of pancakes. "Oh, my gosh, don't even get started. Loose morals this, loose morals that." She sighed and sat down, pointing accusingly with her chopsticks. "Can you stop fighting at least while you eat? Bad karma."

Tenchi raised his hand and waved it again. "An' ca' 'ou ged'off muh nuw?"

Ignoring Tenchi completely, Ayeka continued. "I'm not _you_, Ryouko!"

Ryouko narrowed her eyes and phased over to Ayeka, her own chopsticks precariously balanced between being dropped to the floor and being stabbed through Ayeka's neck. "_That's _hardly insulting _me!_ If it's not your morals, it's the screws in your head, princess." Tenchi gasped for the precious room air he needed as the sparks transferring between Ayeka and Ryouko threatened to light up the table. They were angry, today.

Mihoshi sighed and sipped at her tea - although, hers had more of a kick than the other morning teas did. "The common downfall of rivals is ignorance. . ." Everyone suddenly glanced her way as she looked up, puzzled. "What? I said 'good tea.'"

Ryouko sneered slightly but waved Ayeka off, giving her buttocks a sharp slap. "Kiss my booty, prudey."

Ayeka sat back down, though visibly shaken, trying hard to ignore the cyan haired woman. "Sit down cretin. At least show proper manners."

Chuckling a bit, Ryouko flicked a piece of her meal Ayeka's way. "You were still too loud," she said passively. Ayeka shaded crimson and immediately pursed her lips.

"Was not," she hissed quietly. Ryouko made a face at Ayeka and resumed eating in the air.

"Hurray!" was the glorious outcry of Washu as she came back down the stairs.

Kiyone looked her way and took a pancake. "What is it, Miss Washu? Another invention?"

Washu smiled and shook her head. "Nope, pancakes! My favorite."

Suddenly, her two Chibi-Mecha Washus popped up on her shoulders.

"Yes! Praise Washu and her taste for goof food!" cried one.

"Hail the number one genius of the entire universe for her love of pancakes!" shouted the other.

Washu chuckled as she sat down. "Cute, aren't they?" Kiyone nodded, reaching for another pancake before a set of chopsticks came down, fiercely stabbing the fluffy food. Kiyone quickly retracted her hand as Washu grinned, plucking the disk as her own before looking back up to the detective with a sweet-as-syrup smile. "And watch it with the 'Miss.'"

An hour later, Ryouko patted her stomach as she lay on the couch, about to turn on the TV. She could hear Ayeka complaining about her with Sasami as she helped her washed dishes in the kitchen. "Purple-headed bitch. . . Get a life." Groping for the remote, she stretched and sprawled out on the couch and turned on an early morning soap opera, but the sweet sound of Tenchi saying his goodbyes was suddenly much more important. Happily phasing away to meet him, the remote dropped out the air and clinked as it clipped the table, spiraling to the cushioned floor. As he went out the back door, Ryouko grinned at what Ayeka said earlier. What's wrong with a little public exhibition?

Tenchi smiled as Sasami handed him a bagged lunch to eat in the carrot fields. It would probably be rice cakes, but when you've been working all morning, food is food. Well, it was food until one of the other girls made it, at least. Ayeka looked upon him longingly as he walked out the door, only to have her gaze destroyed when she was staring into the contented face of a certain, cyan-haired neko-goddess.

Ayeka's gurgle caused Tenchi to look back with a cocked eyebrow. "Uh, Ryouko?"

"Why, what is it Ten- . . . Tenchi. . . Over there. . ." Whipping her head back around after gaping at one amused, young face and one curious, boyish face, she laughed sheepishly as she let go of a steaming and most furious Ayeka.

"Ryouko! _What_ do you think you are _doing_?"

Ryouko scratched her head and furrowed her brow in thought as she crossed her arms, pointing at both Ayeka and her beloved – Tenchi, that is. "Hmm, odd. . . my aim seems to be a little off. . ." But then, she suddenly looked back at Ayeka and smirked, practically flinging her arms back and behind herself with a school-girl-bully's teasing quip. "Take another bath, princess. If this happens again, I don't want to gag." Laughing uproariously at Ayeka's particularly grumbly, although quietly atomic reaction, she went over and gave Tenchi a peck on the cheek. "Hurry back!" she fluttered, gazing at him with a soft smile.

Tenchi, feeling only slightly flattered and not at all surprised, made her day and smiled back at Ryouko. "I will. . . Bye Ayeka, Sasami, Ryouko." And with a quick motion, he waved and shut the door; gone.

"Well, he seems to be getting more responsive! Eh, Ayeka?" Ryouko looked back and raised her eyebrow, a small grin still smeared on her face. "Yoo hoo, princess?" Ayeka stood there mumbling, still beet red, trying to think of what to say. "Tell me this is just, like, the Juraian period, Sasami."

Her little pirate 'apprentice' giggled, shaking her head. "I don't think. It's probably just because of Tenchi. Besides, she had her period last week." Sasami giggled once again as Ayeka's eyes only widened further.

"Uh, um, that is. . ." Ayeka managed to sputter, but Ryouko didn't seem to care anymore.

"Hmm, my aim _was_ pretty off. . . maybe I ought to go see Washu. See ya' round, kiddo." As suddenly as she always seemed to appear, Ryouko was no longer with them. Ryou-ohki jumped through the door and scrambled up Sasami's shoulder and onto her head as she went back to the dishes.

"Ryouko's funny." She said humming a tiny laugh, slinging a towel over her other shoulder. Ayeka still stood, embarrassed for the third time that day. Sasami sighed as she glanced at her, a reprimand in her young but authoritative voice. "Not even TV time."

-o-

Washu was tapping away at her holographic keyboard when she heard the sound of her crab-bell. "Hi, Ryouko. What can I do ya' for?"

"You know, that's a disturbing image."

"Trust me, I don't wanna think about it, either."

"So, how'd you know it was me?"

"Call it motherly intuition. So, what'cha need?" She swiveled her head, flashing a smile that betrayed her more brush-offy words. "I'm pretty busy." Washu flipped around on her pillow and looked up at her daughter.

Ryouko rubbed the back of her neck, looking up into the reaches of the laboratory. There was a soft cast of green from high above, any other portions of the laboratory construed by high columns of metal that surrounded them. Off through one split was the familiar expanse of a giant indoor garden. The only other light source seemed to come from an even greener incandescent holo-screen. She cleared her throat and pulled her attention back down to her ambience-bathed mommy, stepping forward and into the cast of illumination. "I think my teleportation aim is going haywire. Going after Tenchi, I - he heh - ended up on Ayeka." Rolling her eyes a moment, she blurted the rest out in a hum. "Anything you can do?" Washu twisted he face into a contemplative look, and shrugged.

"Nope."

"Just 'nope'?"

"Gonna call me mom?"

"Nope."

"Just 'nope', eh?"

Slapping her forehead, Ryouko did a brief Shinto prayer before holding her hands behind her back. "Mom, can you help me out here?"

"Well, the teleportation mechanism is internally controlled with an infinite usage loop. I designed you so that phase-shift energy would be used to create a vapor map. The more you do it, the more precise it gets. You should know the Masaki house like the back of your. . . like you know Tenchi's room. Body signatures on the map are _not _confusable. You have body signature system more complex than my own, got it?" Washu grinned a bit. "Whatever caused you to end up on Ayeka wasn't because anything was on the fritz; it was because your brain sent you there."

Dumbly, Ryouko furrowed her brow, staring at the scientist. "Are you sure?"

"Well, for doubting the number one genius in the entire universe, how 'bout you become a water sprite instead? Then I can send you off to Mihoshi to play." Washu grinned. "I don't know what to tell you, Little Ryouko; but why you did it, you wanted to."

Ryouko stuck her tongue out, frowning at the thought. "Pah, no way. Ayeka's not the freshest fruit in the bowl."

Washu hopped up and moved stealthily beside her daughter. "Agreed. Ever have grapefruit?"

"Can't even taste it and I hate it."

"Me too." Washu nodded and suddenly gave Ryouko a push, shoving her forcibly to a newly established door.

"Hey!" Ryouko cried, ramming her feet against the slick floor. "I came for help!"

"Well, believe me, I'd love to help; hate to snuff you like this, but we'll keep in touch. Things to see and people to do! So you go work this out and I'll get back to you. Ta!" With a final shove and muted protest, Ryouko was gone.

Washu sighed and slid down the still solid door. "Oh boy. . ." she exhaled in an almost praying voice, "this will get ugly. I thought I still had a few more weeks. . ." She leaned forward for a moment and forced herself back again in a cursing movement, eeping and grimacing as she quickly fell, banging her head off the floor after the doorway faded from existence.

"OW!"

-o-

Ryouko sniffed as the door slammed behind her, an odd and loud complaint ringing back through subspace. _There's definitely something I'm missing_, she thought. She shrugged and began to walk back to the couch to finish the soap that she thought had something to do with penguins.

Hey, if it was hot, it was hot.

However, she didn't get far. Two steps into the living area and she was flat on her back, yelping in pain as the fluffy bunny tail of Mihoshi rolled away. "There you are!" the blonde exclaimed as she bent over to pick it up. Ryouko's head finally stopped spinning as she looked up, a generous though unwanted view of Mihoshi backside bannered in the air. Mihoshi glanced over and suddenly stood up. "Oh my! Ryouko, are you okay?" Ryouko waved it off and shakily got to her feet, floating over to the couch.

"Mihoshi, you airhead. Next time, keep track of your things." Ryouko winced and rubbed her back.

Mihoshi sniffed and bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Ryouko. . . Here! Let me get you a drink!" She quickly went to work, squeezing her tail to the form of her confusing puzzle of a block.

Ryouko rolled her eyes as she lay back. "Whatever, just make sure you don't hurt anyone else with your little accidents."

"Agh! I wanted a drink, not a link!" She dropped the large coil of chain as she went back to work on her pseudo-rubics cube. A twist of a side and it flashed, a few balls of yarn dropping from the sky. "What is wrong with this thing!" As Mihoshi continued in the fairly amusing display, Ryouko couldn't help but stare in furtive joviality. That was just plain funny.

Mihoshi fumed as she again twisted a side and then the top, an eruption from the kitchen and a small explosion acting as a response. "AHH!" Sasami shrieked. "The microwave!" Mihoshi grimaced and quickly did the _one_ command she was very familiar with: the fire extinguisher. Sasami quickly ran in, grabbed it out of Mihoshi's outstretched hand and speedily scrambled back to the kitchen. Moments later, the sounds of gases and the faint smells of powder were in the air. Detective First Class Mihoshi knew exactly why Kiyone so advocated that one. . .

Mihoshi grumbled and tried a last desperate time, brow furrowing upon completing the command. When the quick realization that the result was not something she could grab - or it was, she just didn't see it - but something she was wearing came about, she blanched for a moment. "Eep!" she yelped, tossing her hands up as she viewed herself in one of the skimpiest bathing suits she'd ever seen.

Ryouko's silent giggling had slowed upon seeing this. Just, well, she didn't know; perhaps it was the way her tanned chest bounced when she hopped on her yelp. Perhaps it was the tight, black wears - it was indeed a two piece; although there was so little material it could be called a half piece - leaving only so much curvy flesh to be desired was a cause. Perhaps it was just plain ol' Mihoshi.

_Choice word_, Ryouko's brain mumbled as she drank in the scene. Plain was calling the Pacific just a puddle. Was she stunning? or just lusty? Ryouko deemed that the high heels did nothing to stumper the appeal. But _why_ was there an appeal?

"Ah!" the blonde squeaked again. She looked, as what could be called apologetically, towards Ryouko as she made no indication of covering herself.

"Sorry about the drink," she half laughed, relaxing so her knees knocked a bit. Somewhere inside, Ryouko had already died laughing. Who said she didn't get her drink? The scene, however, was a bit much for the pirate, something beginning to make her uncomfortable about seeing so much tanned skin. Nice skin, yeah. . . but too much.

Oh what the hell, since when is too much skin too much?

She shook her head, trying to banish the more explicit thoughts that came to mind. Shuddering a bit, Ryouko disappeared and filled the air a moment later, hovering near the steps.

"I-I'll be back. . ." she mumbled as she placed a hand on the railing, still catching herself stare at the detective. "I gotta check something."

"Are you alright?" Mihoshi innocently inquired, stepping forward a bit. Her unhindered breasts jiggled again, causing Ryouko to squirm a bit. Aghast, she thought: I can see nipples! It wasn't so much a victorious thought, but a public service announcement to the rest of her body.

"I'll be fine, r-really." As quickly as she had phased in, Ryouko winked out, leaving Mihoshi to readjust her cube to tail form. She froze upon hearing a voice from behind and whipped around, slapping Nobuyuki for all his worth. (So, it wasn't _too_ much of a smack.)

"Hentai."

"OW!" he yelped as she turned, placed her bunny tail by her hip and stalked off. Again, he suggested (although to himself): "What about the ears?"

-o-

Washu rubbed the back of her head as she got to her feet. "I figured this would happen sooner or later. I may be the greatest scientific mind in the universe-"

"Yes you are!"

"The greatest!"

Washu sighed in disgust, swatting at them like flies. "Stuff it you two. I'm not in the mood."

The robots gasped and looked at each other.

"Wow," Chibi-Mecha-One said, "must be _SERIOUS_!"

"Yup, you ain't kiddin'! No praise equals _big _trouble!" the other one agreed. They ducked down behind her and vanished.

She scrambled off in a jog away from her lush surroundings, huffing as she passed towers and monoliths of machinery. It was a dead sector of her lab, having been inactive for a long time. It was the older fashioned part, when the idea was industrial utilitarianism and worth instead of the aesthetics her newer sections fronted; where organic beauty simply had no place. No seas, flowers or gardens.

They were just aisles of metal.

She raced around a bend as the maze turned to an enigma of a labyrinth. It was child's play to her, sure, being the creator. But her current mind set in a boggle, it was difficult, nonetheless. Running across her lab, she tripped forward a bit and skidded on a single foot before she came to halt in front of a towering, dormant machine. Calling up her holographic computer, she tapped a few sequences of buttons and the accumulation of circuitry lit up in a bright display of lime green and traffic light red. Lines, quips and dollops of light flashed in different concentrated sectors, meaning to do nothing more than make it look like a useful machine. And hell, it really, really was.

"Psycholayer stability: 46.709 percent normal deviation; propensity pertaining to limbic inhibitions: 85.985 percent normal deviation; memory filter breaking down- 93.160 percent deviation!" Her leg phased through the computer as she kicked the machine. "No! This is not good," she muttered to herself, pacing away for a moment before the genius walked back.

"If these numbers increase consistently, Ryouko will. . . well, neither she nor anyone here will be a very happy camper." She continued, her hands flying over the keyboard as she grimaced in stringent calculation. "I can stabilize the numbers, but it will take me a few days to create a back up; let alone the means to create a reversal system." She sighed again as her typing slowed, fingers trembling and idling over the keys. "Why didn't I catch these changes earlier. . . ? Even at these figures she can be dangerous." Her fingers stiffened slightly and quaked now, balling into a white-knuckled fist. "Kagato. . . " she breathed in disgust. "How could you do this to my little girl. . . ? She's at the brink of insanity because of you!" Her short and furious scream echoed in the high reaches of her lab as she slammed her hand through the projection.

"I'm sorry, Washu, did I do something wrong again?"

Washu turned and hopped back slightly when she saw her tall, dark annoyance looking at her quizzically.

"You. . . Mihoshi. . . how did you get in here?"

"Why, the door, silly!" Her giggle made Washu's skin crawl.

"Maybe I should install child-safety locks. . ." she mumbled quietly.

"Er, anyway, I was wondering if you could fix this." Mihoshi held out her slightly dented tail and frowned. "It's not working."

Washu shook her head with a slight chortle. "Sorry," she said grinning almost evilly. "Last time I modified something for the Galaxy Police it took out half their fleet." She went into a fit of laughter, hugging her sides to quell the pain of the heaves. "Oh boy, what I wouldn't give to be young again. . . ahhh, anyhow; no goes, sister."

"Are you sure? Ryouko stepped on it and now it's not working. I try to materialize me a cup of juice and I blow up the men's bath." Looking around nervously, she gave a small laugh. "Hypothetically, of course. . ."

"Ryouko. . . do you know where she went?"

"She said she had to check something and fwoom! She disappeared."

"Ryouko doesn't _fwoom_."

"Fine, bbzzzz!"

". . . Shaddup." Washu sighed. "Damn. Well, I have to find her, so that means you're leaving," Washu said as she put the large machine on stand-by. Washu began to walk out as Mihoshi shrugged.

"Okey dokey." She set down her guised cube on the console of the tower and followed – at least what she would call - her friend, out. As the door closed, - Washu briefly wondering why Mihoshi's globes were a bit more bouncy - the machine powered up once more. Sparks flew between the tail and the console as it began to quiver.

"All figures reset to 00.000 percent normal deviation," a booming mechanized voice sounded. While soothingly feminine, a deathly toll crept in, some how. "Error. Unacceptable command inputs." The tail rolled around, like guessing fingers looking for the right sequence. The electronic voice called again. "Error. You are advised to not toggle 'Propensity' factors.

"Error.

"'Propensity' percentage is now at 100.00 percent normal deviation.

"Error.

"All figures reset to 100.00 percent normal deviation. Warning: data given will result in catastrophic proportions." The tail stopped, shaking in its place. Of course, it seemingly thought, this _has_ to be the right way to get that cup of juice. The voice repeated the vain message but no one was around to hear. "Error. Critical. . ." A brief alarm sounded before the tail exploded and the machine was again to be silenced for a long while.

-o-

Ryouko fell from the air, touching softy on the edge her comforter in the spare she claimed as her bedroom. She quickly sat in a lackluster slump on the bed, the cover now scattered over the floor. She gave herself a sharp slap in the face before she took a deep breath, phasing back to stance. She moved to her window, drawing the slat blinds so that the only light that entered came in thin trails, leaving the marks of a tiger on her back when she sat back down.

"I know why this is happening, don't I. . ." She rubbed her cheek where she'd viciously hit herself, sucking her breath in at the resident sting. The mark'd probably stick around for a while, too. "I just can't remember. . ." she mumbled, rising again to unsteady feet.

This wasn't the first time she remembered, of course. As she thought about how all that had made her feel, various flashes of the past sliced into her vision. It all started innocently. Sometimes she would be in the onsen and she would idly gaze at one of the other girls. No big deal, everyone does that occasionally. Why she sometimes reacted to the images was a question she preferred to leave unanswered.

Then again, that wasn't the worst of it. As she meandered around her room, she suddenly recalled a few rather disturbing instances. Occasionally, she'd catch the other girls indulging themselves and she couldn't stop herself from watching. Sometimes her hand would brush against Mihoshi's or Ayeka's at mealtimes and it would send a shiver up her spine. Sometimes she'd find herself borrowing items from the other girls and not even knowing why she wanted them.

However, since all these occurrences were so widely spaced apart, she didn't really give it too much mind. It bothered her that she couldn't rationalize; that she couldn't say that it was because of Tenchi; because sometimes he just wasn't around. Shaking off the string of thoughts, she stepped on the comforter, slipping forward slightly before she simply allowed herself to fall to her knees, sitting again in a tired, worn droop. She pushed the cover away, hugging herself as the spark deep in her stomach and chest fizzled out, no longer plaguing her with feelings that, however good, frightened her to the core.

Damnit! Girls were not supposed to get Ryouko going. It just wasn't her thing.

The crack in the air came like a blaze of crisp, lucid clarity when Ryouko's futon shattered to toothpicks and splinters. Ryouko sat still, staring forward as nary a breath escaped her frozen body, her unmoving form encapsulating a rocked mind. A small rain of wood chip plinked off her back as the larger halves of the futon clunked the ground, an obtuse 'V' made at the raised ends and the point of the schism; the rugged, jagged, sharp and painful schism.

Her memory burst as such, perhaps a little more harshly, at the seam, a flood spewing out like the portions of the futon. Each flash in her mind just as pointed and abstract as the pieces of wood that lay dispersed across the wooden floor. "I do know," she whispered, tiny pupils quivering in residual thoughts. "Why now. . ." She shuddered, the strain of the position cracking her as she fell to her side and curled into an innocent ball. Still staring, she shivered again as a few points of wood pressed into her side. She made no hint of a cry as she laid her head down to the floor, a sharp splinter cutting into her cheek and drawing a bit of blood. It flowed out in a thin line, a tear following suit and mixing in.

"Mommy. . ."

Mitsuko.

She needed her mother.

-o-

Ayeka sat in the onsen trying to relax, a quarter-full bottle of sake nearby. Whatever the rice wine did to her she sure enjoyed it, especially when mixed with an intoxicating, hot bath. Looking down, she twitched a bit as she saw her towel begin to slip, the water weighing it down and pulling it into the swirl. She reached up to readjust, but, throwing caution to the wind, she decided to remove it entirely. She was alone - who was she afraid of seeing her? Tenchi? Tenchi would be out in the fields for a few hours yet.

Besides, why not take the chance to boast that beautiful skin should a certain pirate show up? She smiled, finally seeing why Ryouko did this so often. It was so freeing . . . and, giggling at the thought, a little naughty. Looking over herself, she curled her lips, a dour face taking over at the sight of her breast size. They were disappointing, at most, leaning towards disproportion when she compared them to the rest of her figure. At least she had nice, shapely legs.

They weren't the smallest in the universe, sure, but they could stand to be larger. Maybe she should approach Washu on breast augmentation. . .

"No," she muttered firmly to herself, balling her fist in an ending gesture. Ayeka donned a puzzled look at the random thought. Why should the first princess of Jurai need any sort of outside aid? Her appearance was just fine. . . yeah, really. A princess for God's sake.

But it was still something to consider. That last thought made her smile, thinking of being able to look smugly down on Ryouko with huge ya-yas weighing down her chest. Ayeka burst out in a modest bit of laughing. It was probably the sake. Then again. . . Picturing Tenchi ogling her at all made her shiver with pleasure. She closed her eyes and let the alcohol take full effect over her as she felt the water temperature rise a few degrees. Her eyes snapped open with a startled flush as she realized why. Looking down, she saw - though perhaps, she really just imagined - the onsen waters mix with the gentle flow that left her person.

Blushing, she snapped her leg tighter together, her knees knocking and creating a small wave before she slinked deeper into the resettling water. It didn't take long for her to again realize that simply no one was around. She smirked as she reflected on how little she ever got the chance to take care of herself. In fact, considering the last time she was even alone, it had been quite some time. However disgusting and, well, unprincessly she might've considered it, there were times when her thoughts made it so that she couldn't resist.

Namely when it was Tenchi. Tenchi, you elusive bastard.

Now didn't seem to be an exception as she slid her hands up over her chest, kneading and squeezing warily, still unsure if it was even allowed that people could feel so good about touching . . . _those _places. A pleased hiss of air slipped through her lips as she slowly ground her pearly whites.

Slowly, mind you. Can't have a princess with unruly teeth.

Shedding her towel, she sped up, the word 'cliché' lost somewhere in the shuffle of her doings as she approached a once-in-a-few-years show-stopping orgasm. However, it was unfortunately cut short as a knocking at the door ruined the performance.

Quickly disengaging, she wrapped the towel back around herself and flung the bottle of sake across the pool where it first shattered then splashed as she tried to look casual. Washu entered, looked around and smiled at Ayeka. And then realized it _was_ Ayeka, for whom she was not looking. "Oh, well hello Ayeka. Come for a breather?" She chuckled inwardly, the blatant remnant of a deep blush still on her face indicating her latter actions. At least, it revealed the drinking. The two points poking proudly through the towel told of otherwise.

Ayeka sighed and stood up a little wobbly. "Just trying to relax. . ." Her mind flashed and she involuntarily grunted. May as well, she thought to herself. Couldn't hurt, could it? Wait, knowing Washu? It could hurt like all hell's wrath. "Say, Miss Washu. . . what do you think about, uh. . ." She pursed her lips a moment and relaxed them into a broad frown as she motioned to her chest, rolling her eyes.

"Well I'm flattered my dear, but I don't really swing that way-"

"Miss Washu! That's not what I was implying! I was wondering about. . . augmentation."

"Oh! Implants! Why didn't ya say so!" She giddily clapped her hands, smiling, and waved her over, forgetting about her original task. Once she saw the opportunity for improvement, let's just say she wouldn't dare ignore it - whether it is mechanical or biological. Matters of personality still eluded her. "C'mon to my lab!"

Ayeka grimaced and pulled her towel taut. "Right. Implants."


	4. Aquaintances

All previous notes apply. I apologize for the gutting this part underwent.

**Chapter Three**

**"Acquaintances"**

Ryouko stirred slightly from her huddled-up slumber, lifting her head from its not-so-well rested place on her knees. She had moved just a while ago, after the blood had nearly adhered her face to the floor. She winced as her back cracked a few times before she stood up, running her hands behind her along the door-sided wall to keep her shaky frame upright. She glanced around quickly for a few moments before her eyes fell upon the high yellow slits of light that splashed over her demolished futon.

Oh, right. That.

Was it already so late in the day? Almost so late as lunch, maybe? Not that it mattered, of course. After all, it wasn't about how much Ryouko wanted to sit down next to Tenchi and pretend to love all the food that tasted the same to her. It didn't matter that every meal she sat down to was for the people and not the spread. It wasn't about what she wanted at all.

This was about what Kagato wanted. When did Mitsuko get to Earth? Ryouko shook her head, holding a hand to her forehead. That too did not matter. As long as she did as she was commanded things would be fine. As fine as they could be when one's will was submitted to someone like _that_. Someone so very insane. . . Still, there was something better that lay in being the one _in_ control - at least, it felt like she would be in control.

So she wouldn't be, big deal. Mitsuko liked to play victim so that's how things would pan out. Just as they always had when Ryouko had been so shattered and broken that getting used to what they did together was an easy task. Once she found a sense of comfort, Ryouko's interest in sadism was practically synthesized into place due to Mitsuko's obviously more important needs. Ryouko's eyes burned as she stared at nothing in particular, thinking about the countless nights the two had shared. Forced to share at first, but after a while, Ryouko had found herself going to Mitsuko out of habit. It was a strange relationship they'd shared, mostly raw and sexual.

Ryouko couldn't _help_ but remember. Mitsuko. . . Kagato's second in command was on Earth? Mother fucker. . . Maybe this time, with such a different environment, with such a small grasp still clinging to reality; perhaps this time Ryouko could take the lead roll. Maybe this time it would go beyond sadism. Mitsuko deserved it, didn't she? If Ryouko couldn't make Kagato feel her pain, then the next highest figure would.

Where was Ayeka, anyhow? As best as Ryouko could figure, as she rubbed her stubborn-to-focus eyes, Ayeka had disappeared a couple weeks ago. What a stupid haircut. It was probably a coincidence that the first time she had met Ayeka she'd wanted to kill her. Probably not due to her resemblance to Mitsuko; probably more attributed to her snotty attitude. What a bitch. But that resemblance was there, nonetheless, and it didn't help matters whenever Ryouko remembered what happened so very long ago. Ryouko sighed, looking up with a small snarl. So what if it was so very long ago. The point is that it happened.

Mitsuko, you're going to pay. Reaching up to her mouth, she licked the tips of her fingers, bringing them to the side of her face to wipe away any remaining and coagulated blood. Dropping her hand back at her side, she winced, the sting of spit crawling into the small but surprisingly deep cut burning her face.

Washu probably knew. With a small buzz, Ryouko was gone. It was time.

-o-

Tenchi wiped his forehead, sitting in the shade of a tree as noontime neared. He sighed as a breeze swept through from the mountains, making the trees ripple and the fields sway. It was already a good day; a little on the warm side, but the breeze and affection from his housemates seemed to make it a trivial matter. It was strange: Ryouko only kissed him once this time. He smirked slightly before he reached for the lunch Sasami made him when it disappeared in a white flash.

"What the?" He speedily gazed around the carrot fields from his position and furrowed his brow in puzzlement. It wasn't just a white flash, was it? No, there was a nice cyan fade to it. He looked to the far-away house for a moment before he glances to his left where the view opened up into the wide vista that was the vast fields. To his right, a few trees dotted the landscape before the forest closed off the view any further. While he didn't see the next flash, he felt it. "Oh man. . ." he groaned, "I hope that's not-" Suddenly, the edge of a bokken slipped into the ground at his feet, causing him to look down at it as his lunch dropped on his head. "Hey!"

"Ah," the spry one in the priestly robe muttered as he hopped down from the tree, "your rivals won't take lunch breaks, Tenchi! Now, eat up and come for your training." Katsuhito said, the gleam of his glasses matching his mischievous smile. "Hurry up, Tenchi! Time waits for no one." Katsuhito jumped back and flipped into the underbrush, sitting on his haunches; waiting.

Tenchi sighed and opened his lunch, grumbling. While the occurrence was commonplace, it was annoying. "Honestly, you try to make everything you say _monumental._ I have one weird grand father- OW!" A rock dropped in his lap after he rubbed his head, looking back sourly.

"Weird to you is efficient to me!" Katsuhito called, smiling, holding the cache of small rocks in his hand. He whipped another one at Tenchi who quickly grabbed the bokken and popped the stone into the air, catching it on its speedy return to the earth.

"Will you let me eat now?"

"Well, if you didn't spend so much time talking to me or complaining you could have been done. Now hurry up!"

Tenchi rolled his eyes and picked up his meal as he sat down. He quickly devoured it, rice balls and the egg roll not having so much definitive taste as he smashed it all into his mouth. He took awareness to the note inside after her finished the remainder of the meal, careful not to eat it. He picked it up, Sasami's decorative handwriting sprawled across the small square of paper. She was becoming infamous for putting notes in his lunch, blessing him and hoping for his safe return from the fields. "Or from the training," Tenchi mumbled quietly. "OW!"

"Don't think my old ears are slipping just yet," he said with his priestly smile remaining. "Now, finish reading and let us start."

Tenchi nodded and glanced over the note. He was surprised at the urgency of the text, as it wasn't a blessing, but a request; almost a demand. _I'm sorry Sasami_, Tenchi thought, _but if I skip on my training, grandpa will lynch me!_ He stuffed the note into his pocket and flipped the rock he had into the air. Using his bokken, he swiftly launched the tiny pebble at Katsuhito who was casually removing his robes. Barely taking notice as he shook himself from the final extraneous ware, he caught the stone and whipped it back at Tenchi who then knocked it into the ionosphere. Grinning, Katsuhito cracked his neck as he came to stance in his sparring digs. They'd start here, sure, but their battle always took them up to the shrine. After all, there were too many carrots to crush in the fields.

"Ready?"

Smiling defiantly, Tenchi called out. "Hai!"

-o-

Sasami, bored like no child should ever be, fed Ryou-ohki another carrot as she sat up and sighed. Another breeze swept through as she stared out to where she hoped she would see Tenchi coming towards her. She turned to the kitchen door, thinking that perhaps it was time she got to making lunch for those who were still in the house. The others finding things to do, it really only left Mihoshi and Ryouko as her food mates. Washu would stay crammed in her lab with Ayeka, of all people, Kiyone went out to town, surprisingly, and big brother Yosho had probably abducted Tenchi. Kicking her foot to and fro, she leaned against the wall of the storage shed.

"Where are you, Tenchi," she muttered, "I know you got the note. . . can't you skip training just this once?" She sighed again and looked at the sun's rays, streaked across the wooden planks with sharp and defined lines. "Maybe I should just let them fend for themselves. . ." She blanched momentarily and shook her head. "Ryouko would probably kill herself with gas fumes and Mihoshi would scald herself silly. . ." She pushed off from the wall and puttered very slowly to the door.

"I just need to talk to Tenchi. . ." She had something pressing to ask of him, as lately, she'd been hearing and understanding some odd thing on TV. Also, after coming down late at night for a glass of water, she'd sometimes stumble across Nobuyuki watching a few select programs. Of course, there were also the words that Ryouko spewed that Ayeka tried to cover her ears from. It never worked; Sasami always heard Ryouko clear as day.

This aroused some questions from Sasami, and felt they could only be answered by Tenchi. She was too embarrassed to approach Ayeka or the other girls, but through some divine twist of reality, she felt only brother Tenchi could rise to the challenge. She had also briefly figured that Ayeka had no idea what this 'sex' thing was. Tossing Ryou-ohki another carrot, she called for the cabbit to follow.

"Let's go talk to Mihoshi, she seems like the type to know all about this stuff!" Naively trotting off, Ryou-ohki jumped up and settled atop Sasami's head.

-o-

_Bang!_ Two wooden shafts clacked off each other, sending a crack high into the air to shake small birds from the rustling trees. Tenchi stepped back up onto the third landing of the shrine steps before he swung the bokken down in a wide circle. Katsuhito swept it aside, Tenchi bringing it back in a slash. The age-guised Yosho hopping onto the slanted left side of the steps as Tenchi's sword narrowly missed him. Tenchi smirked, thinking he had him on the ropes before he stabbed the bokken forward. Katsuhito returned the cocky grin, already on the other slant as Tenchi skewered air.

The priest swung the wooden blade around to the right, expecting to catch Tenchi in the stomach. He would have, had Tenchi not slipped back and pulled his handle down, making the blade vertical. The collision pushed Tenchi back as he stumbled onto the steps, hopping back onto his feet. He sliced the blade around and swung to the left, again clamoring with Katsuhito's. The priest charged up the smooth slant on the side of the steps, making Tenchi gallop over two, three or four steps at a time to keep pace.

The forest swept by behind both Katsuhito and Tenchi as they shot up the long stretch of steps, their blades battling in a hold and not actual swordplay. Tenchi stole a glance as the top of the run was a mere few steps away. He touched down on the ground and immediately propelled himself off Katsuhito's bokken as it cut like lightning under his feet. He touched back down, the sword following in a high arc.

"Kaai!" Swinging away on the hinge of his bokken, Katsuhito skipped to the side as Tenchi's blade buried itself into the ground. As quickly as he was bamboozled, his opponent slipped the blade under his feet, Tenchi dropping like a brick to the pebbled ground. Katsuhito stabbed his sword into the ground inches next to Tenchi's head, looking down smugly at his partially confused opponent.

"Ahh. . . God. . . do you have to makes these encounters so painful and realistic?"

"Well Tenchi, if your enemy had rather fight with video games instead then I suppose this isn't necessary. However, I'm afraid all aggressors would take all advantages. Now, again; watch your feet and keep your swings manageable!"

-o-

Ayeka looked around the vast laboratory as Washu swept beside her on her floating pillow. Ayeka began to jog in a dignified pillow-to-ground race as Washu stretched in an easy glide. "Still in awe? I figured you people would get used to the place by now!"

"Well, you _are _constantly changing it, are you not?"

Washu twisted her face into a wry grin. "Yup, I guess you're right! After all I am Washu!"

"The greatest!"

"The best!"

"Washu!" The puppets chimed in unison.

Washu laughed, making Ayeka's skin tighten as the scientist sped up, bolting down the machineries' alley way. Ayeka tripped on her robes and fell face forward in a skid, sliding across the smooth floor as her attempt to go faster was quite quickly halted. "Ow. . ."

Washu laughed again; somehow her chortling always seemed sinister. Maybe because it always _was_ sinister. When wasn't Washu on the crest of blowing something up or dominating a race of people? She returned in a putter, hovering above Ayeka's still form. "I love these li'l guys!" Washu cheerily patted the heads of her robots as they disappeared behind her. "So, what did you need again?"

Ayeka blushed as she got to her feet. "Stupid robes. . ."

"Ahem."

"Oh! Er, I do not _need_ it; after all I am Crown Princess of-"

"Oh yeah! Boobs!" Washu said, interrupting her.

Ayeka's entire face reddened quickly, hiding her small blush behind a curtain of a deeper crimson. "Again, Miss Washu, I do _not_ need these. But I'd like to experime-"

"Oh. You mean 'seduce'."

"_AHEM_. Experime-"

"Alright, fine! Entice!" Washu threw her hands up in mock presentation, an evil smile carved into her face. She brought her hands back down to slap her knees as she settled into a highly amused grin.

"Miss-"

"Tempt?"

"Washu-"

"Lure!"

"_WASHU!_"

". . . Yes?"

"I'M EXPERIMENTING AND ONLY THAT! Why can't you get that into your head? I DO NOT NEED BIG BREASTS!" Ayeka covered her mouth, still trying to fight off the rest of the fluster. "I mean. . . I just do not require them to be so large; I only wish to seek unpretentious alternatives to my. . . modest size. . ." Ayeka held her head high, trying vainly to regain her dignity.

"Hmm," Washu let out, a covert smile still marring face. "Follow me. I never really pegged Tenchi for a breast-guy, but we'll look into it!" Ayeka obediently followed as Washu hopped off her pillow, spun on a heel and skipping off, calling back in a motherly tone: "And dear, it's Washu-chan!" Quietly, Ayeka's face threatened to explode.

-o-

Kiyone stepped off the train, the trip to Tokyo not taking nearly as long as she figured it would. She needed to get away, no doubt about it. The last week had been nothing but interview door-slams, temp jobs which ended in her owing more money than she would have made had she been employed the whole _day_, and generally the never ending antics of Mihoshi. It wasn't so much that she hated the girl; she just despised her. Sometimes, at least.

Yesterday was probably the hardest day of her life. Three jobs came and went; three headaches came and stayed; and three bosses collected checks that would probably end up bouncing. Damn you, you stupid, stupid blonde.

It was a calm, Tuesday morning when it all happened. They rolled into Tokyo around the same time, merely on the journey for a little shopping. Okayama didn't have as much to offer bar for the occasional thrift store. Even Mihoshi's luck couldn't get a good find out of one of _those_. Besides, it was fun to hit the big city. Sure, Kobe or even Kyoto would have been an easy trip, but Tokyo just had an undeniable allure to it. It was a slow mid day, everyone back into a groove of working after the weekend. They had two shifts to get to in the evening back home but they had time. They'd only been on those jobs for a few days, however, so being late didn't stay as an option.

Well, it did, but Kiyone wanted to keep the jobs.

It was fated that they'd pass that 'help wanted' sign. It was fated that it would be a pet shop. It was certainly fated that Mihoshi would flip the fuck out. "Kiyone!" she had screamed, grabbing her partner's shoulders in a raven's grip. Kiyone was jerked around and the precarious balance of boxes Mihoshi practically forced her to carry toppled onto the sidewalk. One had spilled into the street, Kiyone's new sweater crushed by a bus.

"Damnit. . ." Kiyone had muttered, not even bothering to stoop to pick up the boxes _most_ people had the courtesy to step around. There were maybe one or two, the big guys even Kiyone wouldn't stand up to, that blindly stepped on the packages. Kiyone grumbled as Mihoshi continued to rattle her.

"Kiyone! Lookit!" she had squealed at her, twirling her around to see the sign and the adorable kitten next to it.

"Yeah, but we don't need another job-"

"Look at that kitten!" she had practically shrieked, shaking Kiyone again.

"I see it. Great. Help me with these boxes, will you?" Kiyone had knelt back down to salvage what she could of their gratuitous spending before Mihoshi gasped in delight.

"Look! They're looking for people! We could get another job!"

"No," Kiyone had responded firmly, not wanting to overly fatigue herself since it would probably mean daily trips out to Tokyo.

"But the kitties! Look at them!" Mihoshi had wailed, causing a few on the street, including Kiyone, to cover their ears. Kiyone huffed, stacking the packages next to a mailbox. She had dared to venture out into the street to get the expensive ware that Mihoshi insisted looked fantastic on her, only to see it be swept away by a passing street cleaner. Kiyone's shoes nearly followed, had she not hopped back and clanged into the mailbox. She grabbed at her arm to prevent it from slamming into the unbalanced stack as the sharp edge of the metal rocked up her spine.

"No!" Kiyone had screamed, rubbing her back. She took a place next to Mihoshi, her eyes falling onto the wrestling kittens. Her heart melted for a moment as a smile took place. "Man, that's cute. . ."

"Think we can get a job here, too?"

"I don't know. . .it's a long way away. Our shifts wouldn't last very long since we'd have to be back in Okayama by seven."

Mihoshi nudged Kiyone's arm, giggling slightly. "But I thought every yen counted, Kiyone!"

The other detective sighed, running and hand through her hair. "Yeah. . . it does. Alright," Kiyone said gently, rubbing the nape of her neck, "let's check it out." Mihoshi yelped something incoherent and rushed in like a sugar-powered rocket ship, leaving Kiyone to gather their packages. She turned and stared at the lonely mailbox as she watched a car speed away, a box spilling out of the back.

It was the other expensive sweater she was coaxed into buying.

Inside, Kiyone silently fumed as Mihoshi, for once, did all the talking. Somewhere inside, Kiyone blessed this, knowing they wouldn't get the job and that they'd get to go home right away. Best of all, Mihoshi would feel like it was her fault and would leave Kiyone alone for most of that night. Tokyo had seriously dampened her nerves.

Of course, it was Mihoshi's enthusiasm over animals that won them the job. Kiyone really, really wanted to cry.

They would have started that very day if not for her labored intervention that would get them to start next week. Mihoshi, however, found it necessary to be so damn recalcitrant then and insisted on starting on the hour. The misguided storeowner seemed to be leaning towards Mihoshi's desire to start, until Mihoshi's desire exploded into a few open cages and a stopped up sink in the back room. To be totally fair, that sink had always had its troubles, but after the cataclysmic event that was soon to occur, the pudgy fellow decided to reap the rewards of a blundering idiot and her tired companion.

Then a few more cages followed. Then, in just a few seconds, the store was in shambles as a few animals escaped, while others fought, and while others still left messes behind the counter, on the counter and on the storeowner's shoes. Kiyone, in her equally shocked state as both she and the manager watched Mihoshi fiddle with her cube in an attempt to make _everything_ go back to the way it was, thought she heard him mumble something along the lines of 'how did she do that'?

Kiyone thought she heard herself respond with something like 'her brain is made of licorice'.

They would have still had the job, simply ordered to work for free for about two or three weeks before they would be paid. Of course, it took Mihoshi to find the command that sent _all_ the animals out on to the sidewalk and made the shop implode. In the shambles, Kiyone hazily remembered writing the burly storeowner a check and holding one ear as it slowly bled.

One job down.

The train ride home was in a sour, sour mood. Mihoshi was forced to sit on the other end of the train, for nearing Kiyone to just a few feet was a fatal path to walk. Kiyone could plainly hear her partner's sniffling as the car was nearly empty. The noon crowd got off well before the long, non-stop to Okayama.

"Sorry," Mihoshi had finally muttered without breaking out into a shuffle of sniffles.

"Shut up," Kiyone said curtly, shifting closer to the farther wall of the cabin. The other train inhabitant looked between then, shifting in her seat in slight discomfort. Mihoshi pouted before she settled into a gloomy slump.

"But, Kiyone. . ."

"Shaddup!" Kiyone screamed back.

The woman shifted again and covered her mouth to suppress a cough. Then they were all launched out of their seats as the train wrenched to a halt. It was the second time that day that Kiyone ended up face down on a hard surface. It hurt, a lot. The car jerked again, sending Kiyone into a roll down the aisle before she slammed Mihoshi into the cabin exchange-door. The blonde yelped as a voice rang over the intercom.

"Attention passengers," was the surreal, cheerful drone, "the train is experiencing technical difficulties. Please, stay in your seats until the train ride recommences." Kiyone snarled as she balled her fists. It was always a technical difficulty. Mihoshi was a goddamn technical difficulty.

"Get off me, Kiyone," Mihoshi said, squirming about. Kiyone gladly got up to take a seat where Mihoshi once sat, crossing her arms in a bitter disposition. Mihoshi flashed her a reassuring smile as she walked up the aisle to where Kiyone was once brooding. Kiyone smiled back, thinking that Mihoshi was finally understanding that she hated her so desperately. Confused, she watched as Mihoshi went through the exchange-door and into the driver's cabin. Kiyone's eye flinched as she heard the exchange of blonde and driver, and then the bop of a cube.

A few seconds later, the speed regulator fell clear off the train. Then went a few panels and then the electromagnetic emission filter. Quite a few hours later, Kiyone pounded the floor of the now airy cabin as her watch read eleven o'clock. Second and third jobs done and gone.

When Mihoshi miraculously found a way to transport them to downtown Okayama, Kiyone was stewing slowly. Mihoshi made all attempts to mollify her furious friend, including a few persuasions towards karaoke. Each one was met with a snarl and a growl.

Eventually, they did end up hitting a karaoke bar, mainly in Kiyone's attempts to shut the blonde up. It was then that alcohol took its sweet place as the night ended with singing, apologies, more singing, hand holding, apologetic hugging, explorative hands, kissing-

"Kissing?" Kiyone muttered to herself as her head snapped up. She looked around from her place on a park bench before her gaze fell upon the tip of Tokyo tower. "When was there kissing?" She shivered slightly despite the warm day, almost regretting the tank-top and shorts she wore. "Well," she muttered, hugging herself as a few goose bumps made pace up her arms, "if we _didn't_ kiss, why did I think it?"

"Hi."

She tipped her head back, seeing a fairly leggy woman lean over the edge of the bench. Kiyone smiled in a friendly nature and returned the greeting in kind. This was a little odd, but she seemed nice. Nothing wrong with being affable, right? Maybe a little overly affable, but it was still a nice gesture to say hello. Maybe Kiyone was wearing a sign that said: Hey there, I am lonely.

_Oh_, Kiyone noted mentally as the voluptuous girl, maybe twenty, took a seat next to her, _she's a blonde_.

-o-

Ryouko's shadow fell upon the door to Washu's lab as she stood there, contemplative. _She knows_, Ryouko's mind screamed at her, _but she doesn't want to hurt me._ Her eyes narrowed a little as a plethora of memories - past and recent, hazy and crisp, degenerative but none supportive - screeched by. Reaching up, she poked at her cheek, frowning at the dull jolt it sent over her face.

"Yeah, I've been hurt plenty of times."

Ryouko shuddered and shut her eyes. She knew what hurt was, now. She remembered that hurt, daring even to say that she lived in it. She knew every curve, every facet, every side, every section, and the all that made up the hurt, and the pain and the misery of life. _But_, her inward monologue muttered, _she knows what really happened to me, and she can explain these. . . feelings_.

Why was that goddamn slut Mitsuko here of all places?

The hallway was darkened for a moment as the sunlight that streamed in was covered by a field of clouds. It lit up once more as the sounds of Sasami's dicing and chopping echoed from the kitchen. It stopped for a moment, Ryouko's ears perking up to the click of the knife being set on the counter. Ryouko looked around for a moment as the hallways briefly dimmed once more. Shakily, she reached for the door handle when Sasami rushed around the corner in an askew path and ran into her.

"Whoa! Huh?" After toppling over each other, Sasami looked at Ryouko and sighed. "Sorry Ryouko, I wasn't paying attention, and I need to ask Washu-chan something and I don't want the food to burn and-"

Ryouko waved it off and pushed herself up and into reclining on her elbows. "It's okay, Sasami, I need to talk to her too- what is it? Did I grow another ear, or something?" Sasami shook her head and stood, reaching out to Ryouko's face. She recoiled a bit, relaxing as the girl's gentle touch traced the wound.

"What happened?"

"Nuh-nothing. . . you don't have to worry about it." Ryouko stood, covering her face with a hand, casting her glance away for a moment as a shadow fell across her almost dreary face.

"Does it hurt?"

Ryouko opened her mouth to answer but sighed, smiling warmly to the younger and much more tolerable princess. It hurt like she could have never dreamed – or nightmared of. It was a pain that seared her like no other – and Ryouko had been through more than enough to know.

Placing a palm on her apprentice's head, Ryouko turned her gaze to her mother's door. "Yeah. . . just a little. . ."

-o-

"Erm, Miss Washu-"

"Ayeka, it's Washu-chan. CHAN!" Washu said irritably, shaking her forearms and fists furiously in front of her.

"Uhm, uh, Washu-chan, is this all really necessary?"

"You doubt me?"

Ayeka grimaced at the thought of 'kappa'-nization and quickly shook her head. "Oh no, no! But, uh, why. . . is it that. . . I need to be. . . this way-"

"Naked? Bearing all? Sans-clothing? _Dans le costume anniversaire_?"

"I get it!" Ayeka huffed.

"You sure? I've got a lot of euphemisms."

"Washu-chan. . ." Washu grinned down, the two of them centered in the large court; a wide circle set in the circumference of a grand set of columns. Each column was one of machinery, of course, diodes and conduits sliding up and lighting the lab's court with green, red, and sometime blue incandescence. Of course, to offset the mania of pure-mechanism, hanging down from above was a bar lamp set in makeshift style. While it was indeed the fixture you'd find in a dive, the bulb Washu put in made sure to light the immediate region quite well. A refraction shield was put under it to prevent from both blinding and charcoaling Ayeka. That, and the pretty azure filter used made for a _nice_ though sorta funky atmosphere.

"Well, if you want this done _right_, we need proper proportionality. That means scaling size, weight and mass so you don't look like you're 400 in earth years and haven't been wearing a bra." Washu reached under her collar and pulled on her bright yellow bra strap.

"Yellow?"

"What?"

"It's a weird color."

"Sorry that I'm not into high frequency visible wave lengths, Ayeka."

"What?"

"Purple. It's a higher frequency." She frowned at the confused stare that was returned to her and shook her head. "Forget it. You're missing the point." She snapped the strap back into place and patted her bust. "See? My own invention! Perky after 20,000 years! That, and I am in the manifestation of a quite becoming thirteen year old, dare I say so myself!" Washu smiled. "Now, as for you-"

"Um, that's not what I was really asking about."

"Oh, then what?"

"The metal restraints?" Ayeka asked meekly. She was forced-sprawled over a cushioned metal table - for her head, back and buttocks sat little inlets of foam padding - positioned under the dive-light, Washu standing over her left in her nurse's outfit. Ayeka only wore an embarrassed, squeamish expression.

"Oh, _THOSE_! Bondage fetish." Ayeka turned red all over and tried to squirm but was held fast. Washu looked her over as she writhed. Pausing at the 'V' of her legs, she muttered and mentally jotted: "I knew she dyes it." Washu nodded jokingly, patting Ayeka on the head. "You people just don't accept divine humor."

"But still," Ayeka posed, laughing uneasily, "why?"

The goddess turned her face up into a reflective look, rocking up on her toes for a moment. "Good question, I'll find a reason later!"

"What! Let me go, let me go, let me go!" She struggled again but gave up under the futility. Ayeka sighed and looked at the amused, wry face of Washu. "Oh shut up."

"Well, first, let's test what you've got so far." Pointing quickly in the other direction to briefly distract her captive, Washu reached over and gave one of Ayeka's breasts a quick squeeze when the princess was not looking.

"HEY!" Ayeka whipped her head back around and struggled again, more intensely. "Stop that this instant!"

"_Now_ I remember! So you wouldn't throttle me!" Washu smacked her forehead in a cute tilt, her low chuckle flipping around into a suited giggle. "I really _am_ a genius!" Ayeka snorted and looked away as Washu twirled on her heel, facing the direction to which Ayeka's head pointed. She flicked her wrists, the holo-top fading into view. "These Earthlings are insane," she muttered, looking back at Ayeka to get an estimate of what exactly she was adding.

Looked to be a lot.

"Oh?"

"They used to, and still use silicon as a means of augmentation. Silicon causes way more sagging than any other means due to the density of the gel they use. It pays its price well after you've paid your money."

"What are you going to use on me - if, if I want it, that is. . ."

"Natural enhancement! The mammary glands never go out of commission, but signals from the brain do. There's nothing that says any woman couldn't be a real . . . what was her name. . . Lee? Panny Lee? C'mon Ayeka, you watch Baywatch, don't you?"

"Wha?"

"Forget it."

"Wait!" Ayeka interjected, straining to look up at the scientist. "I've seen this stuff on the television!" Washu immediately shot her a grin, her previous shivers returning twenty-fold.

"Yup. One to two cups sizes, was it?"

"Uh huh. . ."

"And how long does it take, a few months?"

"I think."

"Then I can guarantee: It'll take maybe a year, and the most the stuff will give you is up to a cup's advancement. This is _Earth_, Ayeka, get serious."

"Good point. What makes yours better?"

"I'm so glad you asked!" Washu smiled, tapping an entry key before a curly tube shot down, the needle on the end stabbing itself into Ayeka's arm. Ayeka yelped, grimacing at the thin point almost going clear through her limb.

"What is _wrong_ with you!"

"Mine is a one time shot! Literally. That TV one makes you take pills every day or so. Mine will act within _MINUTES_! Not to mention that two cups is the minimum advancement!" Ayeka looked to the long needle poking down, a few beads of sweat dripping off her forehead.

"Washu," she began, "I don't want you to go _crazy_, now. Will this process be reversible?" Washu nodded, reworking a sequence on her keyboard.

"You bet. In fact, what I'm about to inject you with will cease to act and will cause a regression, er, leaving you jes'ta _LITTLE_ bigger than you used to be, within a few hours. Who knows, it might turn out to be what you wanted." Ayeka frowned a bit but nodded hesitantly as she turned her head to look up at the glaring light.

". . . What do you mean by 'a little?'"

"I don't really know."

Ayeka silently cursed but swallowed back her refusal. What was life without the risks? "Fine. I'm ready, then."

"Good. I love biology," Washu mumbled, an orange streak of liquid shooting down the curly tube and through the needle that pieced Ayeka's skin. Ayeka stiffened for a moment, a shudder sweeping over her as a tiny writhe ended her movement. Within seconds, the flow stopped. Within further seconds, Ayeka made some pretty odd-ass noises.

"Ng!" Ayeka clenched her teeth tight and pulled at the arm restraints as her breasts suddenly swelled without distending the skin, causing them to pop straight up. It was like watching a thin spot on a balloon expand before the rest of the latex as a stretch of flesh pulled itself into existence under and on the sides of her bust. They bounced once and then were still. Ayeka panted for a moment, whatever pain there was in the nano-second process now resided as a stint of complacency. "Oh. . . that wasn't so bad. . ." She peered down at them and gasped audibly - quite audibly - at a size that shamed even Mihoshi.

"Wow!" Washu breathed as her mind registered the scene like water bursting through the bottom of a barrel. "That worked way better than I'd anticipated!" Giddily, she poked one, arousing a yip and an 'erk' from her prey.

"Ahh. . . suh-sensitive. . ."

"Noted. . . anything else?" Washu didn't take her eyes off them as she cupped the other, give her the squeeze she gave before. They were a hell of a lot softer. Oh, Washu was a penis-fan, no contest; but man, this was her best innovation yet! Ayeka's best as well, probably.

"Nyah . . .Washu, puh-please don't . . ."

"Oh! I'll be damned! It acts as an aphrodisiac as well! Now _this_ will market!"

"Sleepy, too. . ."

"Eh, I'll add a dose of pep-pills to the mixture. But as far as I'm concerned?" She gave a triumphant squeeze as a mark of emphasis, reaching up with her other palm to bitch-slap the heavens.

"Oh God, stop!"

"_SUCCESS!_"

"Washu. . ." Both Ayeka and Washu turned to the sound of the calm, serious, staid voice. Ryouko stepped through the north face of the columns with Sasami tagging behind her, giggling uncontrollably. Sasami was young, not ignorant. Ayeka blushed furiously as she tried to regain any sort of composure, her face exhibiting a wide and eclectic variety of notions.

One of them read as something along the lines of 'fuck me, now, anyone'.

Another read something like 'kill me, now, anyone'.

"Uhm. . . Sasami, this is not what you think. . ."

"Save it," Ryouko said, raising her hand to Ayeka without any sense of troublemaking in her words. The general rivalry that would normally stain her speech was lost in a somber tone. "I need to talk to you, Washu."

Washu nodded questioningly as her eyes narrowed slightly; she then nodded again. "I understand." Washu sighed and assumed a very abstemious expression, plucking off the hat and the entire uniform in a quick swoop. "I guess I can't keep _that _from you any longer. Where and when do you wish to talk about this?"

"Now would be nice. How about a walk outside?"

Washu grinned slightly. "Well I _am_ in the middle of something."

Ayeka moaned in embarrassment; surely she'd never be able to live this down. Ryouko, however, paid her no mind. Thinning her eyes to dark lines, Ryouko spoke softly. "Choose your priorities. An experiment that can take a rain check, or an experiment you call your daughter."

There was a sense of uneasiness as the mother and offspring stared at each other. Washu pursed her lips a moment at the well guised insult that was slung at her before she nodded a third time. "Very well, Ryouko."

Ryouko didn't change her expression as she phased out. Washu sighed, cracking her back forward before she grabbed Sasami by the shoulders and covered her eyes. "Don't stare at your sister, sweetie."

"Washu, let me up, please." Washu nodded, the table tipping up as the arm and leg locks released. Ayeka stumbled forward as her feet touched ground. She tipped forward further as the pull from her chest to the floor sent Ayeka tumbling. She suppressed a shriek as her body weight pressed unevenly on her still highly sensitive chest. Both Washu and Sasami 'oo'ed, turning away.

"Perhaps a little too sensitive. . ." Washu tapped Sasami's back, sending her a few steps away. Moments after, Ayeka appeared back on the table as it righted itself with the clank of a few gears. Washu replaced the restraints and patted Ayeka's forehead. "You better not move. They're awfully. . . responsive. I'll keep you here until it regresses, alright?"

"Uh. . . huh. . ." She blinked back a few tears as the feeling of being pressed into a spiked wall of lollipops and love resided in her front.

"And I wanted to have fun today." She pouted. "But she's my daughter. I've got to go."

"Uh huh. . ."

Washu nodded as a thin sheet fell out of the air above her, resting neatly on her still body. Washu padded back over to Sasami and rested her hand upon Sasami's head. "Let's go, young'un." A door appeared up from the floor and they stepped through, the portal remaining a few moments before it began to fade out from the top down. A small alarm sounded when the portal stopped, however, the quantum-shift to intangibility inhibited from the scrape of metal and the lodging of a large square aluminum frame under the doorknob.

The sides of the frame buckled for a moment but it held fast.

It was one of Washu's most regretted flaws, without a doubt: matter not originating from shift-phase could not go into shift-phase without a chemical change with original matter from shift-phase. More accordingly, matter from shift-phase could not complete re-shift when in direct contact with matter not originating from shift-phase. At said point, matter from shift-phase reverts to totally physical attributes.

In other words, the thing was blocking the door.

A miles-long radius of machinery shut down, lights dimmed, and the quiet of the lab kicked up to a low hum. Ayeka's eyes opened momentarily at the change in lab conditions and weakly looked to her side where the door struggled to disappear. A whisper flowed past her ear, sending goose bumps along her neck as her eyes were brought back to the refraction shield above her. She took quick notice to the slight raise in lab temperature.

There was a snip in the air before a white flash of sparks came from above the lamp and the fixture was violently whipped away. Ayeka, all too exhausted in pain and too scared to speak or scream, inwardly gasped in a strike of terror as the fixture slammed into a column with a crash. High above a wire sparked before her attention was diverted entirely to a voice that floated gently around the room. If she could, Ayeka would have held her sheet in a death-grip.

"It's about time we met again, Mitsuko."

Washu immediately felt a twang of fear when she found herself and Sasami trapped in the subspace transfer area. Beauty, with its gardens and the stretch of the universe, stars and celestial bodies and oceans of creatures and a plethora of wonderment at the fingertips, surely had its ominous tones. Washu's laboratory had few flaws, but those that existed were enormously problematic.

How else do you explain Mihoshi? It's Washu's error, not Mihoshi's luck.

One such problem: power distribution. Opening portals and doorways was a major drain, and because of that, disallowed more than one portal to be open at a time. After all, it was the union of two points in two different spatial regions: it took a good bit of energy to merge two universes. Washu of all people should know that the laws of physics were not to be trifled with. Conservation of energy and matter was the big one when it came to the universe. You just don't mess with the universe.

Even the goddesses (whether they recognize themselves or not) know that.

When she turned and saw half the door they had passed through still remaining, she became reasonably worried. Far down to the other end of the transfer room, where the dots that lit up space mingled with the white washed long structural beams, things began going haywire. Like a wave, a tsunami of light-dimming flowed down, bathing both Washu and Sasami in shadows until the red cast of a back-up generator's feed gave them light.

Washu jostled the doorknob, hissing at the shock that knocked her back a few inches. Lab energy was storming through the door. Sasami tugged at her sleeve, causing Washu to look down slightly. _Keep your cool_, she thought briefly.

"Oh, fuck. . ."

Way to keep your cool, genius.

_ Shaddup, brain._

"Washu? Why aren't we back in the house yet?"

Washu gulped for a moment, guiding Sasami over to a bed of flowers where on the rim of the trough Washu sat. Sasami ruffled through the exotic flora, instantly transfixed. For the moment, colors of magenta, cyan and aquamarine were enough to sate the mind. Washu cast her eyes away, intently staring at the door. She had the distinct feeling that Ryouko had just played her like a grand piano.

"Make yourself comfortable, Sasami. . ."

The dim lab hummed with the light buzz of white noise as Ayeka's hazy mind picked up the silhouette of a thin figure high against one of the column's dull red luminous panels. The figure shifted, evaporating like a shadow disappearing with the advent of the darkest of nights. Ayeka's eyes settled on a pillar three stocks over to find the same shadow on a demonic backdrop of green. The eyes never swayed. Still golden, still angry. The slim shadow disappeared and reappeared three or four more times before it failed to return. Ayeka's tired eyes were left to stare up at the void above.

Who was Mitsuko?

Ayeka sucked in a shallow breath as a ghost of a hand danced over the sheet, pressing the cool material to her stomach. It glided gently over her chest, resting to cup the side of her cheek, the thumb softy rubbing her skin around her mouth and around her eye. Ayeka shivered for a moment, too weak-willed to move away from the careful hand, too afraid to look at who she knew was touching her so intimately. Ryouko couldn't mask the buzz she added to the air when she phased to be.

"What are you doing," she muttered nervously, stilled out of both fright and physical bonds, looking at her not-so-aggressive aggressor through the corner of her eye. The hand stopped its caress, reappearing on her neck after Ryouko came into existence centimeters above. Ayeka gritted her teeth, her mind not yet so focused on the knee that placed itself between her legs. "Ryouko. . ."

She didn't respond, sliding her hands up into the tangle of Ayeka's hair. Leaning down, she sensuously brushed her cheek along her captive's, blowing lightly into her ear. "Putting on a show, of course. . ."

A tiny lick made Ayeka pull her face away, feeling more sober than she ever would at the pinnacle of her most righteous tirade. Wide eyed and as awake as she could possibly be, her questioned stare was answered with a more shocking and confusing, however light, kiss. The hands found their way down, pulling the sheet along before resting tentatively on Ayeka's breasts. Still held fairly immobile, she pulled in a squirm to get out of the kiss and the tightening hold on her bust. The intrusion of the embrace ended within seconds – seconds like minutes that quite possible felt like hours – while the embrace itself, however, still continued. Ayeka suddenly whipped her head to the side as the burn in her lungs ended anything that was and what should have never been.

Ryouko sat up, almost caring in keeping her grasp on her heavy top while Ayeka's still-tired mind struggled to truly recognize what was going on. "What are you doing?" she asked meekly, her voice broken and the force of condescension and haughtiness completely lacking from the demand.

"It's for our master," Ryouko almost purred in response, moving her knee to Ayeka's side where she then sat astride waist. Ayeka winced a moment at the fluid-like motion of her hands, kneading and rolling in slow circles. What followed was a whimper as she found her predator's face a breath away from her own.

"I don't understand," Ayeka struggled again, finding it hard to go against the sensations that dropped a tiny bit below absolutely amazing. "Ryouko, I had no idea. . . but, but I don't enjoy. . ."

"Enjoy what?"

"Women. . ."

Despite the lighting, the counterintuitive grin that defied whatever care was held in her motions was clearly evident. "I remember saying something like that our first time, as well." Ayeka flinched, grinding her teeth together as nails dug into her skin. Her eyes clamped shut for a moment, sending a tear or two down the sides of her face.

"What first time?" Ayeka demanded this time, a genuine but even snotty confusion in her voice. One that implied that someone so disgusting as Ryouko, not to mention being a woman, would _EVER_ have a time, let alone a recurring time, with her. A smack came as an appropriate reply, leaving Ayeka's head to fall limply to the side, staring in stunned silence at her right arm. She didn't bother to turn back up to look at Ryouko, the sting in her face erasing any minor discomforts she had earlier.

"You don't even remember," Ryouko muttered, phasing away. She reappeared, her apparel gone, standing above with her feet planted to the sides of Ayeka's waist. Ayeka didn't respond, with neither gestures nor words as she lay flat and still. She didn't blink for several minutes as the reality of her being trapped with what she could call a severely fucked up Ryouko sunk right on in.

Ayeka, it seemed, was now the true bane of Ryouko's life.

Or was it Mitsuko that she'd said?

_Such questions_, she faintly heard her still-astonished brain flutter before it registered the sheet being flung to the floor entirely. What was that feeling between her legs? Ryouko still stood, so it wasn't her doing. Was it?

"I know exactly how you feel, too. Did he take away your memory? Did he want you to feel like I had when I first met you?" She got to her knees above Ayeka, leaning forward to tip Ayeka's head back up. She lightly brushed the hair from her eyes, a piteous look in her own. "I know, he's sick. . . But I've been commanded. . ." She slipped a hand behind the nape of Ayeka's neck, gently pulling her up into another kiss. Ayeka still stared as Ryouko's tongue slipped across her lips, pushing in for an exchanging tangle.

Why did this feel so good?

Of course, why did it feel so goddamn bad, too?

"I'm sorry," Ryouko mumbled into the kiss, letting Ayeka rest on the table once more. She kissed down along and under her chin, nipping lightly at her neck before shifting down to her collarbone. "But then again, you hurt me, too. . ."

Ayeka gasped lightly as a hand left its place on her breast and traveled silkily along her side, resting first on her hip and then on her thigh. She shivered, the fingers dancing around in patterns she could not predict. She hissed, mouthing and imploring Ryouko to stop.

"Please--" 

She was silenced when Ryouko halted, slapping her face again. She removed her left hand and scooted up a bit, squaring Ayeka's face with her palms. The left side of her face was stained with a shimmering trail from the touch, Ryouko's hands sliding up to gently touch her hairline. Ayeka caught the glimpse of a small trickling sheen coming from the side of her predator's face, herself tempted to reach up and touch it. As the lights turned red, the shimmer turned black.

"Rr. . . Ryouko. . . your face. . ."

She couldn't help but smile, leaning down and nibbling at Ayeka's lower lip for a moment as tears suddenly sprung forth in a more continuous flow. "Why do you say stop?" Ryouko genuinely asked, pulling lightly on the lip.

"It's not right," Ayeka whispered.

"You're enjoying it. . ."

Sadly, Ayeka shook her head. "No, I'm not."

"That's what I said. . ." She let the lip go and crawled up further, holding Ayeka's face with one hand. "And you always slapped me. I never really did learn. . . Maybe I got to like it. . . but I never enjoyed the fact that you _violated_ me so much."

"But I never did," Ayeka stammered slightly, feeling the press of Ryouko's chest on her chin.

"You did. I felt it." Ryouko slid back down. She pushed her tongue in forcefully, sweeping the muscle around to rub along Ayeka's own. Ayeka returned it, tipping her head to the side a bit. Somehow, it made up for the dull ache in her face.

"Ryouko?" She sat back on her torso, placing her hands on Ayeka's stomach.

"I know. . . I know what you're feeling. . ."

"Why is this happening?" she blinked a few times, her remaining tears drying away.

"It's been commanded, Mitsuko. But it doesn't feel so bad, does it?"

Ayeka paused for a moment, staring up at Ryouko nearly serene and relaxed pose. A few spots on her chest glistened a bit, soft golden eyes acting as eerie beacons in the darkness. The traces of a content smile below stood out as well, disbanding the remaining uneasiness.

At least, it would for a little while.

Mitsuko? This wasn't happening because Ryouko thought she was Ayeka. If that were the case, Ryouko would have shot her before kissing her. But who was Mitsuko? And what did she do to Ryouko?

"No," Ayeka whispered, sobbing for a moment. "It doesn't feel so bad. . ."

Time slipped away as Ryouko moved, _somewhere,_ a new rush exploding across her body. Ayeka's voice cracked several times, as whatever was being done to her caused her to scream in delight. She couldn't help it, feeling her mind slip away entirely as feelings she'd never before experienced stole her away.

From somewhere above, she heard a murmur. "I like hearing you scream. . ."

The heat above left her as Ryouko turned, lying herself back down on Ayeka's soft, relaxed frame. Still in her pool of lights, she sensed the touch of Ryouko's tongue lick along her cheeks and eventually, felt it taking refuge in her mouth one last time. Ayeka didn't respond, the shock of the events still holding their grip on her mind. Ryouko kissed her softly once more before phasing away and into the darkness. In the void that followed, Ayeka stared back up to the never-ending ceiling, the beginning of the happenings finally catching back up to her before she passed out.

"Oh, no. . ."

-o-

Dickens, they said, was the master of coincidence. Washu highly disagreed, labeling the universe, the combined chi of all things and the combined karma of all things: the harmonious feng shui that dominated the whole of dimensions as the true master of coincidence. It had to be then that Ryouko went insane, or that Ayeka was dissatisfied, or that she, the supreme goddess of all things scientific and logical was stupid enough to not know when she was having the rug pulled out from under her.

"Yeah, Sasami?"

"What's taking so long? At this rate, I'll never get dinner done!"

Washu smiled slightly, patting her on the head. "You. . . you just wouldn't understand."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. . . I'm sure." Washu turned away a moment, flicking away a renegade tear before turning back to stare at the door. Sasami sat down next to her in a slump, sighing as she kicked her feet slowly.

"I'm bored. Why are we trapped here, again?" Washu's small grin broadened briefly as she outstretched her hand, beginning to count on her fingers.

"Well! As the laws of quantum mechanics dictate, light is composed of and is driven by energy and photon emission. Higher frequency beams have higher energy. I've created a system that energizes electron level drops and photon emissions to surpass that of gamma waves. It was theorized that beyond gamma waves, there were frequencies that could supersede the space-time fabric."

"Tachyon particles?"

"How the hell do you know about tachyon particles?"

"You hear a word, you say it."

"Well, it's not tachyon particles. The waves I'm talking about were left as gamma-A-prime waves. Their high-energy focus is able to tear through space-time by creating a loop between adjacent dimensions. The photon emission density determines with what dimension the connection is made.

"Higher density beams reach lower energy dimensions. It's all concerned with the conservation of matter and energy. If high density particle emissions connected with high energy dimensions, the back-flow of energy would create a paradoxical loop that would ultimately destroy all the universes."

"Wow."

"Yeah. I use high-density emissions, while it drains my lab, because low energy universes have less space and less area to worry about. Low energy dimensions are simply more manageable. Obviously, for the lower level dimensions, I need a lot of energy. While my lab is magnificent in all its glory, it does not have infinite power reserves - that, as we know, is impossible."

"Conservation of energy?"

"Bingo."

"What's the conservation of energy?"

"I'll explain it some other time, okay? Well, thus said, keeping a portal open for a long time eventually takes its toll. That's why I'm always rushing you in and out of my laboratory. While it's possible to keep portals open indefinitely, I haven't devised the technology to harness 'back-draft' energy from other dimensions."

"Well what's keeping that door open? Energy can't be stopped by matter, can it?"

"You bet your behind it can! That's why fire doesn't go clear through your pot."

"Oh. . ."

"The problem with shift phase is that its energy emission is fickle. Either it wants to emit as energy or as a matter. The doors I use become matter the instant you touch them, and turn back to energy once one lets go. They can't go back into shift phase if they're matter, because matter can't become intangible without a chemical change."

"What about Ryouko?"

"Ryouko's tricky to explain. How about when I explain the conservation of matter and energy?"

"Oh, alright. . ."

"Well, take that door." She got up and walked over, tentatively wrapping on the lower half. She got a slight burn but it was not of too much consequence. "It's acting as matter. Matter on the other side is keeping it out of phase-shift because the door is now matter, too. If that matter weren't there, the door would turn back into energy and would be able to readmit its energy as gamma-B-prime waves."

"What happened to gammae-prime?"

"Gamma-A-prime, you mean. My machines emit the gamma-A-prime to get the electrons in air going. The high frequency beams are kept concentrated by magnetic fields - that all has to do with electron spin and that is _hell_ to explain - and keep the doors open as energy portals. To disperse a portal, the fields cut out and the photons re-release the energy back into my machines as lower frequency gamma-B-prime."

"Oh. . ." Sasami suddenly furrowed her brow. "Wait!" she cried, "what about air? Isn't air a form of matter?" Washu beamed, clasping her hands tightly together.

"That's my girl! Very good, Sasami! You are absolutely correct; air is a form of gaseous matter and by the laws of quantum shift the door should never close. Alas, the magnetic field takes care of that. All atoms have magnetic fields and as such, are affected by the poles. The magnetic fields that keep electron spin into order also create a 'matter vacuum' by repelling all atoms in the immediate vicinity. Easy, ne?"

"I don't get it."

". . . I figured." She sat back down, resting her hand on Sasami's shoulder as they both shared a sigh. "It's tough to explain, and when I'm cranky, I don't make too much sense."

"I'm sorry, too. Why're you cranky?"

"Remember, you wouldn't understand. . ."

They both lapsed back into silence before a bright blare of light came from above. Washu wrenched them both up as the door suddenly vanished. She shot her hand out, another door instantly reappearing. They ran into the lab, Washu catching the bar of the cracked metal under her foot before she was sent to the floor. She groaned, another bar shoved high into her back. She writhed for a moment, seeing Sasami unsurely enter. Washu winced when Sasami stumbled back, a high-volume shriek escaping her terrified person.

_What the hell did Ryouko do!_

-o-

Ryouko dropped from the air, collapsing among the splinters littering her room. She got to her fours, coughing frantically, spatters of blood dripping to the wooden floor. She wavered for a moment, her limbic system unearthed entirely from the thrill of what last happened. Her conscious mind shut down completely as a primal urge bubbled itself to the surface.

There was no denying it; no matter how elegant or choppy it was; no matter how gracefully it had occurred; no matter the shared screams of delight or the shared kisses of passion and lust; no matter what she told herself and what she told Mitsuko, Ryouko had ravished. Nothing more, nothing less; she took the life of someone in her hands and made it hers. She raped and, yeah, it felt good.

She stood, her room dimming further as a cloud outside dancing daringly before the almighty sun, saying 'it's my turn to take control' before the supreme winds shoved it out of the way.

It had really felt good. Not just the act but the concept as well. Disappearing, a singular thought raced through her head as the adrenaline flowed strongly, coursing freely through her body. The ideals of power and dominance were further gripping her lower brain with every passing second. Be her next victim Mitsuko or not, Ryouko felt the need to reap the human soils once more.

And she would.


	5. Hunted

All previous notes apply.

**Chapter Four**

**"Hunted"**

Washu stumbled to her feet and pushed Sasami far back behind her near where the smashed dive-light lay. "Stay here and do _not_ move. Got it?" Sasami nodded, pale and trembling. Washu turned, gulped, and slowly approached Ayeka, grimacing at the scent in the air. "Sweet God. . ." Sasami gave a scared look at the professor, barely hearing her own terrified - if not at least horrified - mumble.

"Ayeka," Washu whispered. She looked over the still, buxom girl, feeling a wash of guilt and familiarity as she took in the sight of the mostly green gleam that was reflected off her body. In her eyes' wandering, she saw thin traces of blood.

Washu, even on her steeliest of days would have shivered at the sight. She called up her computer and released Ayeka from her bonds, one of the arms rolling and dropping to hang limply off the side of the table. Washu shot a quick glance to Sasami, stopping her approach with a glare before she went back to work, using a speedy goddess-scan to find her nearing mental and physical instability. Goddesses can do that, you know. Though, milliseconds after the thought, she realized she didn't need the computer to see that. Trauma to her face and legs was trace but noticeable, her breast looking a little larger and more swollen than they had been before.

Not thinking twice, her hands ran over the keyboard and a half-piped, padded gurney dropped from the ceiling. Four metal posts held the corners as the space-age coffin look-a-like awaited a charge. The table tipped and rolled Ayeka face down onto the gurney and the half-pipe lifted and carried her off on a prompt, urgent course. Washu reached back, grabbing Sasami's hand and pulled her along in a race after Ayeka. While running, Washu blindly tapped at her keyboard, the macabre silence partially broken by the rush of air and Sasami's aching cry, which quickly turned into a pant from a child who had apparently been on the couch too long.

Beyond the south face column was a very metal and circular room, two other hallways of machinery leading off from the sides and elsewhere into the darkness. It was a large area, a few giant, vertical green tubes lining the center around a large steel central column. One of the cylinders set in the post hissed and opened, sliding down into the decorated and buttoned-up base. The gurney positioned before it, tipping Ayeka into a crumpled heap inside the pipe. It closed with a vibrato and flashed, immediately filling with a liquid. Ayeka quickly floated as nearby consoles lit up, and as conduits snaking into the jell-o-like fluid, attaching to Ayeka. Washu's computer disappeared as the liquid inside polymerized, bringing about a sigh of pressurization.

Sasami crept up beside her with a sniffle and continued her crying. "Whuh-what happened to Ayeka? Washu?"

"She's. . . had an unpleasant. . . experience. . ."

"Whuh-will she be alright?"

"I don't know. . ." Sasami suddenly hugged Washu tightly, her wails continuing as Washu's arms gently closed around her. Washu looked up to the princess's strung appearance and, as thoughts of her past raced to mind, wanted nothing more than to apologize to Sasami for what she had done.

-o-

Mihoshi - changed into far more comfortable wares, namely an infamous pink tank and brown pants - stood again and sat back down in an irritated restlessness. She couldn't find her tail and now reasoned that instead of commencing her hour-long search, she could have simply gone to the kitchen for that bowl of cereal she wanted. Looking around the living room, she dropped to the floor, scanning under the sofa. With no luck, she stood again and yawned wide. Having nothing to do only made her sleepy; being sleepy actually made her kind of hungry. However, since being sleepy also made her lazy, she figured that lying down would be easier than walking, which was wont to make her tired, anyway. She lay down on her side, staring at the blackened television. She looked up ceiling beams, turning on her back accordingly as she slipped her hands behind her head.

The house felt very empty. Indeed it was, but the concept struck a deeper chord because Mihoshi just didn't like to be lonely. Tenchi was still at sword practice with Grandfather, Nobuyuki had finally gone to work (with much insistence by her), Ayeka, Ryouko and Sasami were nowhere to be found, Kiyone had gone to town and had yet to return - she was probably out fucking some guy, Mihoshi thought with a twinge of bitterness - and Washu had traipsed off to somewhere unknown.

_Oh, Kiyone_, she thought. "It wasn't my _aim_ to be bother."

A clumsy bother, Kiyone's voice rang in her head.

"Right, clumsy. . . I don't understand how she can vow to never speak to me again and beg to sing karaoke the next." The silence that followed seemed to act as an appropriate answer before Mihoshi continued. "Okay, so she doesn't _beg_, but she can get into it just as much as I do." Briefly she giggled as the most obvious solution came to her. Smacking her head lightly, she exclaimed. "Of course, she's on the Pill! I guess she really is out with some guy. . . I never pegged Kiyone as one to whore herself around. . ." She shrugged briefly, her carefree 'tude making up for however morally reprehensible she thought slutting around was. "Her life, she can do what she wants. . . Just wish she didn't hate me some . . . er. . . most of the time. . ."

She twitched her nose a bit as her mind traced back to the last few words, running over them like fingers through hair. "I bet everyone thinks I've had massive loads of luh. . ." she blushed a moment, her indignation not coming through as well as she found the subject difficult to even discuss with herself. "Love making. . . I've never even gone down on anyone. Gregarious or not, I'm just too shy. . ."

Mihoshi's eyelids fell and her eyes burned briefly, but adapted to the perpetual sleep stasis as she slipped into a dreamscape. "Maybe it's for the better," she mumbled quietly. A warm smile overtook her as her hands slipped down, crossing over her and hugging herself. "Something to offer Tenchi. . ."

Above, resting on her rafter, Ryouko stared down with golden eyes ablaze, quietly watching her next prey. The urge was returning to its highest pike and she could feel herself becoming well over the bounds of aroused. She phased out and reappeared over Mihoshi, a scant, far less gentle smile on her face. Seeing the rise and fall of Mihoshi's hug-amplified chest brought on an intense sensation, surprisingly intense for the fact that it was just a set of breasts - but nice breasts, as was agreed before.

Somewhere, the memory of a black swimsuit surfaced.

She grinned darkly as she lowered down, a leer like no other set on her face. Her smile did not last, however, as sanity raced back in a fleeting moment that briefly sent her flying into to a world of further surfacing memories. For that transient moment, the lights dimmed and she dropped into isolation, the floor seemingly miles away; cold, gray and concrete. The strings that held her lunacy together snapped, sending her crashing as though she were a marionette with her wires slashed. Enveloping her was a dark, dirty, miserable feeling. A spark of heat wouldn't last an instant in her now chilling world; where things most unknown, but felt most of all, became clear and defined.

Pain, hate, and self-loathing resurfaced with a torrent as Ryouko grasped what she had done. Her soul understood the graveness of the deed, time slowing as the things she had committed to could be reviewed in explicit detail. Agony ripped through when she realized what heinousness she'd done, even wanted to do, and what she so nearly repeated. Even someone like Ayeka, - that's right, Ayeka - someone whom Ryouko wanted to rip the voice box from couldn't possibly deserve that.

_That_.

_THAT._

Ayeka. . . Mitsuko became a shadow, a distant memory even in this sudden world of aching recollection.

"Why is this happening to me!" Ryouko screamed, the rush of a tempest in the enclosure of a wine glass shattering the dark world around her. _What's kept me level for so long. . . why this decline. . . why Ayeka? _Ryouko reached up and pulled on her hair as she was torn apart from the inside out. The blacks and grays swirled like a cloudburst, pushing torrential rains of jagged recall around her as she pulled herself up to her knees. She screamed, feeling the peel and burn of fire inside. Her skin split and blistered, black smoke and wisps of death pouring out through the crispy cuts.

_STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTO_

She fell forward as her bones turned to dust, leaving her limp in the inferno that surrounded her. The rest of her flesh just melted away as a blackness thick like molasses swirled with the blood that seeped out through her.

_NONONONONONONONONONONONONONO_

_ Why me!_

Silence. . .

But, yes, it was transient, as the click and slide of the front door marked Tenchi's entrance into the Masaki residence and a return to a bleaker reality; erasing entirely what Ryouko had just suffered so that she may prey once more.

-o-

Washu gripped Sasami tighter, tempted further to become the adult she was meant to be and cradle Sasami in her arms as they looked upon the shambles of Ayeka for a few moments longer. The younger of the two ended her rain of tears, sobbing quietly as her weary mind drifted to the skewed escape of the soul's abyss. Picking up the now exhausted child, Washu set her on her floating pillow and beckoned it to tag along as Washu wordlessly marched to a darkened corner of the multi-vertex lab.

She gazed around, sighing, knowing that even she - the most scientific genius in the universe, naturally - couldn't reverse this, ANY of this, with conventional methods.

Even certain unconventional methods did not sound so productive.

The first step, she figured, as she wasn't the type to barge into a situation without a full scope, would be to review what could be stopped, what could be prevented and ultimately, what HAD to be done then and there. Fear struck her, however, as she moved upon the one thing that kept Ryouko functioning for over two thousand years; a chill rode up her spine as its dark overcast left her with a foreboding feeling. She quickened her pace to a jog and skidded to a stop in front of the silenced, towering machine. She called up her computer and went through many frustrating attempts to restart it as, next to her, Sasami stirred amongst the flurry of tapping and typing, but the machine and child remained dormant. Pausing, she squinted through the hologram and looked at the cylindrical console, seeing the remnants of white power.

Stepping through the holo-top completely, she examined it closer and saw the unmistakable remains of Mihoshi's stupid, white bunny tail.

"Oh son of a bitch! Mihoshi!" Washu's eyes narrowed when her mind ran over a few thoughts of torture and sadism - it was always an excuse for a new invention. "Oh will I kill you this time. . ." She swept away the feathery power and went through a manual rebooting system, grimacing as bypassing the setup was not the time-waster she wanted to commit to, right now. Popping open a gleaming black panel, she nearly ripped to shreds a few wires that she not-so-gingerly pulled from the console. Making a few hasty reconnections, and after smacking the entire thing a few times, a beep and a click signified its return to technically working order. While it reloaded, her ability to rationalize disbanded entirely, leaving her fearing the worst and whether or not there was anything left to even stabilize.

For the sake of the universe, there had better be.

"Any reaction from that. . . that _thing_ could have upset the figures greatly. Aside from _keeping_ Ryouko safe, this could program her to be a murdering, raping, vicious little machine." She felt the chastising tone of her own mind give herself a sharp slap for her choice of words before further thinking aloud. "While I can't actually _make_ her go one way or the other, a short in the system most definitely could. This thing wasn't meant to do anything but stabilize and hold fast, but knowing Mihoshi and her little toys, the entire thing has probably scattered into oblivion. . ." She snorted, stomping the ground with the heel of her foot. "I _knew_ I should have been developing a program to make her healthy. . . make her sane again. . . but I was selfish, after my own ideals for all this time. . ."

She trekked off a few meters under a small archway, stopping in the bare expanse of a wide thoroughfare. To both her left and right were miles of blank hallway, bordered only by tall, black, metal walls. The light above was high, leaving the path's glow dim.

"I figured this thing would keep her above the red forever. . . What have I done?" The lights on the machine hit a final sequence and a small microwave-ding rang behind her. Stepping back through the little archway to get back to the now rebooted machine, she lightly ran a hand along Sasami's still resting head. Appearing back in front of the computer, she quickly scrolled through the data. What she saw made her face run free of color, sending her stumbling. Hesitantly, she reached over and shook Sasami firmly. "Wake up. Now."

Groggily, Sasami wiped her eyes as she awoke, propping herself up on her elbows. "Ayeka. . ." Washu was quickly eye level with her and spoke gravely.

"Come with me, I need a favor."

Across the lab, - though of course, not literally, since Washu's lab spans the expanse of a small dimension and saying 'across the lab' implies the ridiculous idea that Washu would place her work station so completely and inefficiently out of reach - Washu handed Sasami what looked like a vial of mace. On it, a small crab slept soundly, the vibrant red 'z's threatening to jump right off the can. "It's a high powered barbiturate," Washu said almost sternly, holding up her own can.

"'Tranzine 022'?"

"Tranquilizer effect. Barbiturates are drugs derived from barbituric acid."

"What do they do?"

"Conk you out."

"Neat. . ."

"Sasami, pay attention. I need you to help me go through the house and find everyone you can. . ." She looked away briefly. "If you see Ryouko, you will attach one of these to yourself." From her pocket, wherever one may have been hidden, Washu presented five red-capped crab-shaped pills.

"When you find anyone, spray this. It'll act pretty fast. Try to avoid getting them in the eyes, just spray their generally vicinity. Make SURE you do not inhale much of this. It won't linger in the air; it's pretty heavy stuff. After you knock 'em out, attach a beacon to them. Whomever they're stuck to will instantly transport to my lab." Sasami gave a worried nod, the burden a bit too much of an onslaught weighed on her after not only having just woken up, but after having way too much science talk for one day.

"Why do I have to spray them?"

"Well, if the brain is in a fully functioning state and is in no way aware of being transported, it can be torn down by the system change. However, you'll know, and thus be aware of the transport. . . Uh, just in case, try shutting your eyes." Sasami gulped -– more science.

"Right. Why uh, can't you just transport everyone here with your lab equipment?"

"Would if I could. It's hard for my equipment to single beings out and would bring all heat signatures matching general humanoid structure here. That would include Ryouko."

"Um. . . what did Ryouko do, Washu?"

Washu looked away another moment before turning back with a small shimmer on her cheeks. "When you find and transport everyone, attach one to yourself. I'll try to find and subdue Ryouko. You see her, you get away. I'll explain it all in due time. Understand?"

"Crystal clear." They both turned to the hampered blare of an alerting alarm. Washu gave a small gulp, blanching a little once again. She winced slightly, the boy-toy plushie bouncing from a section of low ceiling.

Tenchi was home.

-o-

_Crack!_

Pebbles shot out from under Tenchi feet, rocketing away as he slid to avoid the downward slice of Katsuhito's blade. Tenchi skipped back a few more steps as his foe spun on a tilted axis, whipping the blade under him, back up and then down for another slice two times in succession. Tenchi stepped to the side, his bokken whistling through the air as he brought it up to meet the priest's third downward chop. Tenchi brought it up and back around, cutting from the left before Katsuhito sliced down on it, knocking Tenchi forward a bit.

In a near panic, Tenchi swept his sword weakly to the side, trying to cut it under Katsuhito's feet. In response, his opponent spun his blade back from his right, the edge aimed squarely for the notch under his head.

Right, the neck.

Ducking, Tenchi swept to his right, freeing his blade from beside Katsuhito's foot. Tenchi hopped back a few more times as Katsuhito followed through with the blade, thrusting it forward to jab Tenchi in the stomach. He fell back with an 'oomph', and was again on the ground. The younger of the two looked up at a worn but sturdy bokken as the victor held it to his face. "Eh?" he spoke down to Tenchi. "That was a good one, hmm? 'Thought you'd appreciate it!" Tenchi grimaced as he spoke his surrender. "Ah, so now you're dead."

"Well, it's getting along to dinner time, I'm hungry; give me a break!"

"Tenchi, if I've not told you before. . . "

In unison, and with irritation from Tenchi, came the finish. "Enemies won't break for meals and leisure."

"Yeah, I know," Tenchi smiled. "But you're my grandpa."

He looked down at Tenchi and backed away, also smiling. "Go eat, Tenchi, we'll continue tomorrow." Katsuhito turned and walked to the shrine. "Drop off my wares when you come for an extra-early morning practice, eh?"

"Early morning!" He sighed, scratching his head. "Never mind. . ." Tenchi rubbed his head and went to the house, making sure to remember to swing by the field to pick up Katsuhito's robes. Walking down the shrine steps, he rubbed his stomach a little, the stab to his gut taking away much of his appetite. "I WAS hungry, at least."

He walked up to the front porch, not wishing to go through the kitchen due to his loss of hunger. His ulterior motive, of course, was to avoid having to get vegetables for Sasami. He was just too tired.

And lazy.

And a bit of an ass. . . I mean, she's a little girl, you clod.

Stumbling a few times, he ascended the steps and opened the sliding door, kicking his shoes off before stepping up into the hall. He stood at the base of the stairs when a loud crash came from the living area. Curious, he shuffled through the kitchen anyway, –- finding it odd that the main doors wouldn't open - nearly fainting away upon his entrance into the room.

Ryouko snarled as she rubbed her head, Washu dropping the bat she gripped to hold her captive down. "Sasami! Do it now!" Tenchi tipped his head to the side, looking to try to make a reasonable explanation out of seeing Washu pin Ryouko down. What shocked him first - as small a shock as it was - was the absence of Ryouko's clothing. Now however, the shock lasted in Washu's curious position over her daughter.

"Hi, Tenchi!"

"Hi, Sasami," he muttered, stepping into the room to inquire before he really did faint off his feet, disappearing before hitting the ground.

"Sasami, get Mihoshi!"

Ryouko growled again, looked back to Washu with slits for eyes. The Academy Professor yelped when the pirate shot her arms up, gripping the girl's neck. "Well if I can't have them, then I'll take you. . ." Alarmed, and with no other resources at her disposal, Washu panicked and elbowed Ryouko in the face. "Ow!" she shouted as Sasami looked quizzically at Mihoshi.

Do I still have to spray her? She's asleep!"

"Still!"

"Yeah-huh."

Washu hopped off the writhing Ryouko, who held her nose to stop the continuous spray of mucous and blood, and attached the micro transporter to Mihoshi, turning back to look at her daughter as the blonde vanished with a small red flash.

"Wait, what about when Nobuyuki gets home?"

Washu's only reply was a wry look to which Sasami simply blushed slightly.

"Oh, right. . ."

Washu glanced over to Ryouko who was still squirming in pain. "We've just gotta worry about when Kiyone gets home."

"But she did come home!" Sasami suddenly exclaimed. "She came home about an hour ago, actually. She snuck up to the onsen to avoid Mihoshi. She had'da really goofy grin on her face, and her clothes were so disheveled-"

"Then we can go," Washu took out a blue capsule and bounced it in her hand, "and this should take care of Ryouko for a while." She attached it to the pirate just before she stood, vanishing with a shout of indignation.

"Where is she going, Washu?"

"Oh, a familiar place. . ." They heard a splash and Washu grinned, if only for a moment. It soon turned to a small grimace. "Let's go." They split the scene and raced all over the house, beating feet to check room after room. Doors slid, clicked and rolled and the sound of a toilet being lifted came at one point. After finding no one, they returned to each other, meeting in the living area.

"Did you check _everywhere_, Sasami?"

"Everywhere in the house. . ." She quietly trailed.

". . . Fuck!" Sasami's eyes went wide after her companion's had as she and Washu suddenly raced out the door, the pink-haired goddess briefly apologizing for her choice of words.

-o-

Smiling in a momentary memory, Kiyone leaned back on her lounge chair taking in a bit of sun near the lake. That Meiko girl she'd met earlier that day was a very, very generous person. Of course, as far as Kiyone was concerned for that hour and a half, there was no such thing as being too generous. She hadn't even considered that one could go from drinks at a bar to _that_ in so little time. . .

She frowned for a moment, removing her sunglasses to rest them on her stomach below the gray and dark blue top of the two-piece she wore. "God. . . when did I turn gay?" She shook her head, sliding the glasses back on. "I'm just experimenting, I know it. . . everyone experiments at my age. . ." She let out a whoosh of air as she stretched her arms above her head. Despite the shock-effect is still had on her, she smiled. "Wow. . . girls can just be so much more graceful than men. . ." She was tempted to give herself a slap but let it pass. "But it's back to the penis for ol' Kiyone. . ."

Kiyone looked at the muted sun through her sunglasses and smiled again. _What a peaceful day_, she deemed with a sigh. "Especially without Mihoshi. . ." She frowned again at her thoughts, a small wash of guilt coming over her. She hadn't _meant _to say that, it just came out. "I need to stop giving her such a hard time. . ." Her grimace furthered as clouds began to gather, filtering her sunlight to a simple glow in the fluffed sky. Sighing again, she turned over onto her stomach, intent on getting a little sleep. "I'll apologize to her next time I see her. . ."

She flinched at the splash that sounded behind her, thoughts along the lines of Ryouko trying to snake into Tenchi's room slipping into her head. Instinctively, she shifted the chair a few feet away, lying back down as a wave of water swept up, missing her new position by inches. She didn't bother to look back, shifting a few times as a few drops of water managed to catch her calves any way. She growled a bit when even more came, her sunlight still gone and leaving her cold. Removing her glasses, she looked back with a gasp to see Ryouko staring down. Naked.

"Wha. . . What are you doing, Ryouko?"

"Completing."

". . . Completing what?"

"My command."

". . . To do?"

"You'll find out."

"Oh, I don't like the sound of that. . ." Her tone told Kiyone to run but Ryouko was too close for her to get away now. Slowly, she turned around on her back so to leave Ryouko with a less advantageous position, but to her chagrin, it hardly helped matters. Kiyone cried out and scooted back into the lounge chair as Ryouko dived, sitting astride her stomach, grabbing her by the arms. Kiyone sucked in a breath, her eyes roaming wildly, looking for an out as she remembered just how sore and weak she was after her afternoon's pursuit. Strong as she considered herself to be, Kiyone knew at once that she was no match for Ryouko. She cried out when Ryouko leaned in for a kiss, prompting Kiyone to go for the headbutt. Ryouko swiftly pulled to the side and grinned, awarding an attack on her ear instead.

"A-ahh!" Kiyone squirmed, trying to pull away. Ryouko lifted her hand to hold her head in place but instead, she traced a finger along the trembling girl's throat before she planted her hands over a breast and squeezed firmly.

"Ryouko, stop!" She tried to slide back further but the weak metal hinges of the chair gave way and snapped, sending Kiyone toppling back and Ryouko vaulting forward. As the two recovered from the fall, Washu and Sasami burst from the kitchen door.

Ryouko smiled, mumbling something about thrice the opportunity. Sasami tried to inch closer to Kiyone but Hakubi quickly spotted her. The princess jerked, dropping her can as a figure not unlike a feline's made a slow approach.

"So you want to be first, little girl?" Sasami whimpered and stumbled back a little more, tripping over a few ill-placed stones. Had Tenchi been present, he would have felt guilty about not having moved them sooner. The transporters fell from her hand, one sliding into a small puddle where it crackled and deteriorated almost instantly, a small wisp of smoke wafting away in a passing breeze. Wincing as she watched, Washu looked over to where Sasami eyed back at her with the same sense of uneasiness. Perhaps a little more on Sasami's end as Ryouko still came closer. Getting to her lab without a micro transporter wasn't a problem, but the problem lay with her daughter being trained to follow phase-vapor trails. If she couldn't detain Ryouko for long enough, the pirate could follow her path and endanger them all once again.

Washu had legs, she could run it.

"Sasami, you and Kiyone go." She stepped past the youngest, nearing Ryouko with a daring gait.

"But Washu!"

"Go." Sasami, terrified, found no means to argue. Grappling at her can of Tranzine, she put Kiyone out before she could ask questions and as the two disappeared, Washu slipping her hands behind her back.

"Sacrificing yourself? Awfully noble. . . I can't very well complain," Ryouko chuckled almost mechanically, "you're a cute one."

Washu herself smiled as she reached into the nothingness. "Thanks! I think so, too!" Another mace-like can appeared in her hands as she approached Ryouko. Above, the clouds begin to swirl and stir like the banter of rowdy spectators. "Regardless of what you've done already, I know you don't mean it. . . I can help you, Little Ryouko. . ."

Ryouko flinched slightly at the term and narrowed her eyes. "I couldn't need any less help." Holding out her hand, the can was ripped from Washu's palm as she let out a brief cry, the cylinder zipping to Ryouko's outstretched digits. Ryouko smirked and approached once more. "Don't you resist me either, you saw what happened to your friend." Ryouko grinned, head hung in a dark cast.

"Professor Washu. . ."

Shuddering slightly at the thought, Washu maintained composure. "Oh, I'm not worried, because you've just doubted the number one genius in the universe!" Holding out a remote with the other hand she flicked a switch, causing the can to explode into a force field.

"Hey!" Ryouko cried as she pushed against the bubble, making it skew and bend. It sank in like Reynolds Wrap, tangling between her limbs and causing her to fall. Ryouko looked like a pile of leftovers. Washu grinned, winked and ran back to the house as clouds merged and as the first few drops of rain began to fall; just another shadow cast over the lands and people of Japan.

-o-

Tenchi's eyes opened to the anger of bright light as a slow groan emerged. Man, it felt like he fell for ages. Maybe Katsuhito hit him too hard? "Wha? Wha' happene'?"

"Finally," Washu called irritably. Tenchi could only see the ceiling from his back-down position, a blur of blackness still at the corners of his vision. Sitting up, he viewed the others, bar Ryouko and Ayeka, across the short curved hall. Tenchi soon, but hesitantly joined them after hopping off the cushioned table. "Now I can explain."

"Explain, Li'l Washu?" Mihoshi inquired.

"Ryouko's. . . well, unexplainable activities as of recent."

"Well!" Mihoshi almost giggled, "If they're unexplainable, nothing left to go over!"

"_SHADDUP!_" Washu bellowed. All but Mihoshi mumbled and turned their heads to the side until Washu whistled them back to attention, Mihoshi still sulking a little from, what she still considered, a friend's immense indignation. "All of us," she began, pointing accordingly, "Tenchi, Mihoshi, - especially Mihoshi, - Kiyone, myself, Nobuyuki and even Sasami are about to become subject to one of the greatest dangers this side of the universe." Her pause caused everyone's anxiety to jump twenty fold as Washu's gaze panned over them left to right, from right back to left. Tenchi gulped.

"Ryouko's sexual prowess."

Nobuyuki, who had returned home just moments before Washu disappeared into her lab and was thus dragged along, almost smiled. Boy, after that hard two hours at work, this sounded to be the turnabouts of a nice day! Off in his own fantasy, he just stood there amongst the other girl wish a stupid and most certainly ecchi grin on his face.

Sasami glanced up. ". . . Honorable Father. . . ?"

Tenchi just groaned and sat down on the floor with a grunt. "Yeah? So what else is new?"

Washu glared at him, trying not to let his ignorance of the situation get to her. Failing, however, she marched forward and grabbed him by the shirt, hauling him to his feet. He visibly blanched, Washu's snarl as menacing as the roar or a lioness on the hunt. "This isn't just her pursuit if YOU anymore, Tenchi!" She let him go with an almost rough shove, her out of character and spiteful notions bringing about a small round of gasps from the peanut gallery.

"If she manages to get hold of any of us, and I _mean _any of us, this could be the result!" The floodlight above, blazing white fire, cut their lives short and the green tube containing Ayeka illuminated to cast a sickly wave of glow upon the now shock-struck onlookers. Washu quickly pulled Sasami to her, hugging the child close to keep her from seeing the horror to which she'd already been forced to bear witness. The others, bar those two, gasped heavily in the bath of green light. Shadows stretched far behind them as the scene Ayeka was placed in transcended the shock of her being naked.

Hardly battered, hardly bruised; evidently violated just the same.

Tenchi grabbed his stomach as he viewed Ayeka's goddessly stance in the tube, arms spread to the side like an angel on her ascent; legs locked together at the knees and ankles. Kiyone pardoned herself politely and wretched into a nearby and most convenient trash can. Mihoshi winced and sat down on the floor, shivering as Washu took to grimacing.

Tenchi asked, "Why is Ryouko doing this? This, this," he gestured at Ayeka, "could happen to us?"

"Yes. But it's not her fault."

Kiyone stumbled back in and looked skeptically to Washu. "Then whose is it? Did you do something to her?"

Turning with a vicious snarl and poking her sharply in the shoulder, Washu growled, "You're lucky this is a more pressing matter or you'd need just as much medical attention!" She stepped back, taking a deep breath and a few spots of sweat gathered on her forehead. Kiyone gulped and backed up a step, the accost bringing back the idea of what she just barely escaped out by the lake. Hugging her bare shoulders, she realized that she'd forgotten to thank Washu. "Not to mention Queen of the Water Sprites. However. . . this, all of this is, the indirect result of Kagato."

"I should've guessed," Tenchi hissed, ". . . but how?" he further questioned.

"Ryouko's. . ." Washu stopped briefly to, what seemed to Tenchi, wipe away a tear. "Ryouko's experienced. . . brutal treatment when under his control. Beatings, molestation. . . and. . . and rape." Washu this time turned for a moment, a heavy feeling in her heart moving to her throat. She turned back, her eyes blurred slightly, spilling a tear or two down her soft, pale cheeks. "All this fear, hatred and mistreatment; it's manifested itself into her own personality, and the years and years of his control have permanently imprinted on her. That's what that is," she motioned to the expanse of machinery stretching far away, as if her entire lab were devoted to her daughter, "or _was_ for." Mihoshi looked up, feeling the wavering anger in Washu's voice directed at her like an angry stare. "Many of these machines kept all her abnormal levels stable, at least, until recently.

"Even that wasn't so bad; she was a little promiscuous, but that was all. . . at least, until an accident caused all levels to flux to their extremes. This has come to our present result. She has a primal urge to feed off us. Ayeka was. . . the closest thing at the time, I suppose." Hearing her sister's name made Sasami burst out in a sob and she broke from Washu, running forward to clutch Tenchi who soothingly hugged her back. Washu frowned as a blade of guilt stabbed at her mercilessly.

She knew why it was Ayeka. She _made_ the reason.

She knew damn well who Mitsuko was.

Mihoshi gazed at Ayeka as Kiyone looked to Washu. "But if this machine can keep her stable. . . why can't you just enter values that will make Ryouko alright?"

"I wish it were that easy. I can't actually control the values, I can only prevent them from moving. It's a. . . an eclectic suppression. The machine was meant to counter balance those particular 'traits', let's say, as well as other imprints. Although, programming the counter balance is a tough job in itself because it's hard to define polar emotions. Not to mention the fact that emotions aren't very tangible. Metaphysics isn't my area of expertise."

"Couldn't you create an excess of counter balancing?" Kiyone asked, curious.

"It would risk literally frying her brain."

"Well, you said accident, so. . . So how did Mihoshi manage to do things. . . so perfectly?"

Washu frowning, sighing. "Can _you_ explain Mihoshi at _ALL?"_

"Good point. . . So what do we do now?" Kiyone asked.

"We do what I say. Ryouko at this point is subdued in a weak force field. It was all I could manage without taking up too much time. She's probably already broken free. What we have to do is get her to a secure part of subspace I created without hurting her or us. Hurting her would result in a violent retaliation and hurting us goes without saying. What I plan to do is create a high concentration of the barbituric acid Sasami used on all of you and we'll transport her via this," Washu held up the red transporter. "It will send her to a secure part of. . . of subspace." The last hitch in her voice went without notice as Sasami's gentle crying held most of their attentions.

As Sasami whimpered into Tenchi's chest, he spoke. "What stops you from using your equipment?"

Washu shot him an unintended glare but recovered to just giving a general sour face. "I'd love to if I could. AsI've explained to Sasami, the problem with that is that my machinery can't perform _magic._ All things follow a sense of logic and algorithm, Tenchi. My machinery, when it transports people, identifies heat sources within a certain radius. I couldn't just pluck someone from Shanghai and bring them here, I haven't developed that kind of singularity-system. So, instead, it relies on general heat pattern emissions of humans. Because Ryouko is practically human, this heat signature includes her, as well as other humanoids. Thus, if I were to try that, you all would run the risk of going with her. I've thought out all the possible methods and while this isn't the safest, it's the fastest. Our priority _must_ be to capture Ryouko." She turned dark all of a sudden, stepping from the green glow and into a gray dimness.

"You don't know what it's like, Tenchi. You're not a mother, you're not a father. You don't have children," she whispered. "You just _do not_ understand, nor will you ever, I'm sure. You don't know what it's like to feel helpless when your baby _needs_ you. . . and you especially don't understand how it _hurts_ that Ryouko can't even understand that herself." She looked up, a frigid stare locking his jaw in place. Tenchi was speechless, dumbfounded as to how he could think he could do this better than Washu could.

"I'm sorry that I have to put you at risk and that so many have already been hurt but this is just the way it has to be. Got it?"

Tenchi gulped, the mask of a child swaying him from the sudden professionalism of her words. "Got it. What do we do until then?"

"You won't have to wait," Washu replied. "I work fast."

-o-

Why?

What a stupid question. The answer's either always too simple or far too complex for the question posed. And that damn question is always, _always_ applicable to everything. The answer 'because' is often given, despite its extreme non-acceptance. It's never enough to answer a question and it's always too much to answer the question.

Ryouko, what did you do to me?

Swimming, nude, Ayeka floated slowly, turning in a limp path. Her face openly displayed her melancholy, depression sinking into her core as the idea of her friendly nemesis becoming just a nemesis really hit home. Her eyes shut, tear droplets springing off and drifting off into the void.

God, 'why' was such a stupid, stupid question.

She whipped around, eyes flung wide open as a touch crawled along her spine. Seeing no one, she turned again at the dance of fingers on her back and lower still. Turning once more in a small whimper, she voiced a noiseless cry as a shadow hopped up on her, pushing her into a tumble through the inky place. Ayeka cried, shrieked and roared as hands roamed her shifting body, over her most sanctified places and delving in.

Ryouko, what did you do?

Ayeka awoke with a long scream, however much it may have been muffled by her facemask. Her chest ached to no end, a dull sweep of pain wrapping around her like a tight corset; her sides ached. Looking around frantically, noting the struggle it took to even turn her head, she realized that everything was colored a muted green and immediately thought of Washu. She looked down and tried to move through the thick gelatinous liquid, the substance as permissive as loosely-packed snow. Reaching over her naked form, she pulled off the quivering tubes and wires but left the facemask, reasoning that without it she wouldn't be able to breath, despite it being such a chore.

_ Duh._

As her vision became crisper, she saw with a sick discern that she was not alone; that again she was watched with such anger and indignation. Again, her life was in the grasp of a being so cold and so caring at the same time. Somehow the coldness always and greatly outweighed the care as Ayeka gulped and watched the gold eyes staring at her from the darkness. Oh, how she wanted to scream.

Ryouko. . . what will you do?

-o-

Sasami crept back through the living room with her can of Tranzine 023 - titled and trademarked to Washu - poised in the air. Penalties for using the name Tranzine or any contingents in the Tranzine Series (including U-Doze, Mononoir and Sleepy-Time-Fun) without the consent of the Greatest Scientific Mind in the Universe extend to, but are not limited to, five hundred thousand years imprisonment as her personal guinea pig. Y'hear?

As Sasami neared the steps, she yelped lightly upon hearing a thump and a slow creak as the presumed footfall bounded down the stairs leading into the room. Hopping back, she was relieved to see it was just a ball bouncing down the steps. A suitable explanation came upon hearing the dimmed voice of Mihoshi as she continued around and through to the kitchen. She slid the door shut behind her, tempted to peek under a few overturned pots and pans, as though Ryouko we're spring-loaded and hiding.

She faltered slightly as her attention was drawn to the patter against the window and the roll of raindrops that milled from the roof down. Passing through with little difficulty, she stepped into the dark hallway where the slit of Washu's door caught her gaze. Slightly ajar, it hung as a symbol of safe haven, almost, as Sasami entered in to continue her search. Her actual desire to find Ryouko was nil despite how much she liked her. Sasami just wanted a good place to hide.

Inside, she heard the idle blinking and beeping of lazy lights wanting to be put to use while the floodlights above her remained out. It was hard to see her hand in front of her face, nothing but a techno-glow lighting her path. Far down, where the ceiling dropped, the illumination of her sister's tube acted as a beacon in the dark laboratory. Below her, where one would work the controls, marked the silhouette of a low expanse of spiky hair.

In front of Ayeka's pound-on-the-glass rattling and banging, Ryouko bent over the control panel trying to figure the odds of her unwrapping her prey by pressing a random sequence of buttons. Glancing up, she grinned like a mad woman at Ayeka's sudden retreat, her shivering form swimming back to press against the far side of the glass. Ayeka trembled, turning away as Ryouko's hungry-again eyes roamed to no end. Her prey, no matter how scared or small had nice, nice legs.

Weren't her breasts much bigger last time?

Ryouko's gaze narrowed in frustration and she prepared to annihilate the machine entirely when Sasami yelled out. "Washu? What are you doing?" Ryouko shot a look back over her shoulder before leering up at Ayeka who, with the appearance of a war refugee, was still pushing against the far side of the tube. However, she took on a more confused expression when the demon disappeared; though terror rose with the aid of a speedy heart when little Sasami came into view.

"Washu?" Sasami approached to where she saw the short form of the scientist before the shadow had seemingly faded away, and stopped to look around. Her head snapped back to up in surprise to see her sister's mobile form as Ayeka banged as wildly as she could on the thick glass. "Ayeka?" Sasami ran to the tube and held her hands to the cool surface, condensation patterns fogging up a little around her warm fingers. "Ayeka! You're awake!" Ayeka violently shook her head, pointing down the far stretch of hall reaching back behind the little princess. Sasami looked back and saw nothing. Again, Ayeka shook her head, pounded and pointed. "What are you tellin' me, Ayeka?"

Sasami stilled as a whisper of air snaked by the nape of her neck, sending her stumbling forward down one hall before she turned, back to the console, can wildly pointed in front of her. Her mouth gaped in the attempt to make a modicum of sound, whether to warn or to cry out as Ayeka's steady pounding resonated above her. She shivered at another pass and launched herself forward in a mad dash to the exit of the area where the hall opened back up into a wide corridor where the ceiling was nowhere to be seen.

Where, you funny little word.

Where are you, Ryouko?

She whipped her can around, whimpers and peeps escaping her here and there. "Ryouko. . .?"

After an indeterminably long pause of blips and beeps, she responded from nowhere in particular. "I'm here. . ."

Sasami swallowed heavily, cautiously stepping back into the sector where Ayeka still moved. Sidling along the curve that followed the tube around to the left, she grimaced lightly as it folded into a dead end. She looked up to Ayeka, who was turning around to gaze back as she reversed, freezing when a tall pillar met her retreat. Hands came down upon Sasami's shoulders, the can dropping instantly from her hands as she desperately tried to keep her eyes closed.

"I'm right here."

"St-stay back, Ryouko. . . "

"You asked for me, didn't you?" She laughed slightly, rolling her hands along Sasami's trembling shoulders. "I didn't think Master liked them so young. . ."

"Wha-what do you mean, Ryouko?"

"What's your name?" Ryouko asked softly before her hands slipped to massaging along Sasami's neck. Sasami convulsed slightly and broke forward, escaping the grasp with a small scratch on her skin from the edges of Ryouko's nails. She placed her hand there to quell the miniscule burn as she stumbled back to the wrap of hallway that led around the right side of the tube. Ayeka watched, herself shaking as she slammed into the side of the glass. She winced but did it again, a heavy bruise showing even through the dark green liquid. The mask slipped from her face, large bubbles of oxygen beginning to flood the tank. Atoms of rogue hydrogen in the gelatin began fusing with the oxygen to dilute the substance with water, filling the tube past its capacity. She slammed into the side of the tube repeatedly as the sealer at the top began to crack.

Sasami scooted back but slipped as Ryouko slowly paced her way. "What's you're name, little one?"

"You know, Ryouko. . ."

"What is it?"

"Suh-Sasami."

"Sasami. . ." The name came out as a hiss, rolling off Ryouko's tongue to wrap around the princess' head and slip into her ears. Ryouko stopped to grin up to Ayeka, tracing a small line on the tube when Sasami's hands once pressed. A faint trail followed and sunk into the glass. "I bet Mitsuko would like to watch."

_Crack!_

There was a loud split above them as the tube began to tip through its hold. A spray of air and water exploded from the top like an insane fountain as it fell towards Ryouko in a slow but paralyzing-to-watch fall. Sasami screamed, quickly rolling back and away, another crack slicing through the pipe as the tube exploded, still in mid fall, under the vast and great pressure. The blast landed atop the frozen pirate in a wave of glass, metal and green. From the center of the tube, Ayeka fell from the burst of water and landed on the flood of liquid. The wave rushed down the two branches, washing over Sasami before swirling back to empty out into the rest of the lab. Many shards and slivers of glass stuck to her and her sister as the tsunami of fluid left its torrent from over the blue haired princess. Wet, Sasami looked up wearily, seeing only Ayeka stand from the mess of debris and diluted blood. "Ayeka. . ."

Ayeka looked and gimped over, her slender legs scratched and steadily bleeding. She held her purple, swollen and bruised arm as they looked back to Ryouko who lay motionless under the pile of emerald. Small globs of thin gelatin swirled there but aside from that, the crushing power of the break left the mound motionless. Ayeka, after leaning against a slick metal wall, slid down and looked to Sasami with tired and worn eyes.

"Ayeka?" The stately Juraian representative didn't respond and closed her eyes in a well-received act of slumber. "Aye-Ayeka . . .?" Sasami scrambled over and grabbed her wrist, feeling desperately for a pulse. Feeling a shimmer of a heartbeat, she grabbed Ayeka by the arms, dragging her away with all her might. Sasami got about ten meters away before a quiver shook her body, the sounds of stir of the mess of emerald where Ayeka once stood slinking back to meet her. She slowed her retreat, staring at the glass, seeing it begin to tink and clink as the jigsaw pieces rose off the floor. Sasami gasped as Ryouko's now uncovered body turned over, rising in the air slowly.

First upside down, in a small ball, before she blossomed into an arced stance. Her silhouette was slender and magnificent in a subtle show of power. Her arms were cast as her sides, toes pointed down. Even from her distance, Sasami could see the sick trails of blood, nearly gushing from wounds all over her body. A river of the vermilion flow spilled from somewhere above her forehead, dripping down her nose, along her cheeks and from her chin. It fell from pointed fingers and toes, adding morbidly to her beautiful shine. She twisted and contorted, finally turning slowly into a face-forward - meaning towards Sasami - floating stance. Sasami fell back, still gripping Ayeka's wrists.

The remainder of the glass rose and spun, helixing around Ryouko in a deadly slicing and dicing swirl. A dim orange glow came from her wrists' jewels, traipsing up and around her arms, resembling the glass whirling around her. Stray strands broke away and penetrated her like thin knives as the orange wisps mingled to spin around her neck and down her body. Soon, her entire figure radiated in spirals of orange. The spinning shards of glasses reflected the sickly light like orange stars twinkling in a black, black sky.

Sasami swallowed the transfixing sight and skittered back to her feet as she pulled Ayeka off, mouth still slightly agape. Ryouko's arms rose, parallel to the floor as the glow intensified. Her eyes slowly opened in blazes of white, mixing with the deep orange to make a creamy incandescence. Her deep cuts, bloody scrapes and lengthy gashes all pulled back, disappearing into her pale skin. The pirate's eyes dimmed and narrowed, leaving only the amber glow of her golden, feral eyes as she then vanished, the orange radiance gone more quickly than it had come.

-o-

There's a fine line betwixt heroics and stupidity. Washu, when Sasami dragged Ayeka to her like a kitten presenting a tiny mouse, deemed the stunt that dinged up the princess as a tough call. On one hand, it left her in bloody and banged up situation - not to mention the fact that it did harm to Washu's equipment. But despite the fact that Washu was on her way to the lab anyhow, the act did take some brass. Risking one's life for another keeps one in another's mind for a good while. Ayeka wasn't all bad; she, like all people, had her moments.

All gathered around the battered princess as Washu set her down, bandaged and recovering steadily, in the onsen waters. "Well. . . It's now gotten more dangerous, from what Sasami's told me. Ryouko's probably ready to haul ass like you wouldn't believe."

A few audible gulps circulated the bathhouse in a nervous conversation.

"We've got to be careful. The waters in the onsen are a natural healing agent. I'll close down the interdimensional link so she'll be as safe as can be. I'm pretty sure that in her current mind set, she wouldn't know about the onsen anyhow. But we don't have much time before Ryouko takes drastic measures in satisfying herself."

"Oh God. . . " Tenchi moaned.

"Yuh."

"What's drastic mean?" Kiyone tested, shifting in her place as the warm waters lapped up, dancing along the edge of her foot.

Mihoshi leaned over to whisper, "It means 'serious'-"

"I KNOW WHAT THE WORD MEANS!" Kiyone yelled angrily, tempted to throw her Tranzine at the blonde. Mihoshi recoiled and huffed, sighing. "I mean, pertaining to the situation."

"You sure you wanna know?"

Pausing, Kiyone shook her head. "Not anymore. . ."

Tenchi snapped his gaze away from Ayeka to drill his sight on Washu. "You're kidding me, right? Why is this happening?" he asked urgently.

"Would I kid, now!" Washu huffed. "I told you why this is happening! _Don't_ tell me how bad the situation is!" She turned to Sasami, her urge to push Tenchi under the water for a few minutes already gone. It was hard to stay mad at that guy. "Can you still go through with this?" She nodded succinctly, accepted the new can that Washu produced for her.

"You've got to remember that it's not her fault."

"Kagato."

"We know, Washu," Kiyone said, "we're not going to persecute."

"You'd better not," Washu said with a hint of a growl. "She's my little girl; _NOTHING_ is going to happen to her." Nearly storming in her sour tirade, Washu made her way out of the onsen. The others followed suit will a small exchange of glances before they were all once again in the hallway. As soon as the door's hatch clicked, Tenchi reopened it, seeing a long-forgotten bathroom present itself in weak, dull, white colors.

_ Gone. . ._

"She's safe, Tenchi."


	6. A Mother's Touch

All priva-previous notes apply.

**Chapter Five  
"A Mother's Touch"**

Washu reviewed the past and its most disturbing events. Hitler and the rise of Nazi power in Germany back in the 1930's (Earth Calendar), Stalin's take over of Marxist Russia, MC Hammer's '2 Legit 2 Quit,' and one of the worst ever: Vanilla _and _Lime Coke. Then, her mind reset its course to focus on more home-hitting events. Namely, that she was the single cause of Ryouko's demise.

_Oh God, what have I done?_

How much more could her mind tell her it wasn't her fault when, for all her worth, it was? At least, that's what she'd believed for the last two thousand years. Surely, she could not blame herself for Kagato's insubordination and the audacity it took for him to take her little girl away. But she did. It was a mother's job to take responsibility for all things heinous, atrocious and evil done upon their babies. Kagato wasn't her fault, but she took the blame.

She was to blame, however, for the creation of the other scourge of Ryouko's memories: Sugisawa Mitsuko. Oh, Washu, everyone makes mistakes, don't they?

She crept along and out towards the storage shed after checking the kitchen. Kiyone stayed inside, the only one with the will power to head down into the storage room. Yeah, the basement. Well, not so much the basement as it was Nobuyuki's personal space.

Right! His hentai library.

Looking out to the darkened sky, she was chilled to see how the light had depleted so much in so little as an hour. It was barely breeching a summer's dinner time and the saving grace of sunlight was gone entirely. The rain continued to batter down, digging little foxholes into the softened ground. After having checked the lab - it was hers so you had better believe she knew how - she shut it down and disconnected it entirely. She didn't like the fact that she had to take these measures - If she needed to get to her lab it would just be that much more difficult.

I'm sorry. . .

_Where are you Ryouko? . . . answer your mother_. Not surprisingly, she had no reply. _I know you can hear me. . ._ Again, no one answered her call. However, a spark hit the back of her mind as she heard a thump emerge from the shed. "Ryo. . . " A brown blur exited with great haste and Washu knelt down to scoop it up as it attempted to pass. Washu smiled at her creation, lifting it up. "It was you, eh Ryou-ohki? Haven't seen you since breakfast. Getting carrots? . . ." Stopping mid-inquiry, she relaxed her arms to hold Ryou-ohki closer. "What this?" Furrowing her brow, Washu ran a light finger across Ryou-ohki's squirming face, her stomach turning as a slick trail followed it off.

_Little one, come back . . . I wasn't finished. . ._

Washu's gaze darted up as the thought penetrated her head. "Ryouko," She whispered lightly.

"Miya!" Ryou-ohki replied over her little shoulder after hopping away and galloping madly into the house. The wind roared by outside as the black clouds dropped a harder sheen of ominous liquid. Washu crept to the shed's door and listened in, searching for the link, but she found none. Preparing the Tranzine, she stepped in quietly, seeing the empty basket of carrots on which Ryou-ohki had probably been in there feeding. A few green stocks littered the floor where Ryou-ohki was probably in a mad rush for more carrots. Who needs the green part, eh?

She stepped in further, eyes readjusting to the dim lights. Almost immediately she felt a shroud of regret surround her and whipped around suddenly when a snap came crisply from outside of the shed, the door slamming shut with a brisk clap of thunder.

-o-

Inside the grand Masaki home, Kiyone looked down the library steps with lead weights tied to her legs. Going down didn't seem so appealing when she was at the crux of descent. "Hello?" She called uneasily, expecting her target to answer back with a friendly invite to spray her in the face after a spot of tea. Taking a step, she proceeded downward when _much_ to her chagrin, all the lights in the house struck off. The absence of brightness outside blackened the house as Kiyone 'erk'ed, screeched and stumbled, falling down the stairs, losing consciousness after a bang to the head at the end of the bumpy ride.

-o-

Tenchi looked through his bedroom window as he stared outside at the swirling maelstrom. "Man, that's dark. . ." The lights cut off and Tenchi toppled fully over his bed. "Ow."

-o-

Sasami ducked into a cabinet on the kitchen island, shivering as the lights disappeared. "I'm not scared, I'm not scared, I'm-" Thunder resonated outside and Sasami covered her head, shrieking.

-o-

The professor turned quickly and muttered to herself, swearing her name for stupidly entering a dark and secluded place. Somehow, at times like this, her brain never seemed to register her being a goddess; possibly, after having powers since the beginning of time, you begin to lose track of them. That, and with the lab shut down, portal hopping was out of the question. She skidded back to the door and tried opening it, which she did quite successfully. "Oh. . . guess it was the wind. . ." Another gust passed her, chilling her neck and making her hair stand on end as she viewed the rolling horizon. She froze immediately when the wind returned and rolled and over her shoulders, dragging her back in. With the crack of timber, the door was pulled shut once again.

Washu tumbled back, still gripping the Tranzine as her wild roll smashed a few of the wicker vegetable baskets to straw bits. They littered the area for just a moment, until Ryouko's arm swept the sharp pieces away.

The goddess cried out when she was pressed upon, feeling Ryouko push down her arms, Washu now unable to spray the pirate. She stilled for a moment, the sight of her daughter holding her in an icy grip immobilizing her as the understanding of what her own child had in store punctured clear through any defenses. Ryouko chuckled as Washu resumed her idle struggling, reaching down to pluck the can from her milling hands. The shock quelled Washu's ability to do anything that would, in hindsight, be considered an easy escape as her gaze locked onto the amber one that returned. All that swam through her was the persistent 'why' inquisition.

Goddamn that stupid, stupid question.

"Ryouko," Washu said uneasily, "you don't know what you're doing. . ."

"Oh? What am I doing then?"

"You're being highly rash, illogical, and impulsive. I didn't raise you to be like that."

"Kagato. . . _Master_, raised me. . ."

"No, he didn't! This isn't right!"

"Well, that doesn't stop it from being fun." Ryouko quickly sliced through Washu's uniform, parting each severed layer with her thumbs. Washu gasped at the transgression and tried pulling her arms free as her predator's bare shins locked down on her ankles, knees vee'ed out to either side. Fear got the better of the guised youngster, however, when she, unable to simply think straight, made no other attempt but to fight in her weaker, kiddish form. Ryouko split the last layer, peeling it off and tossing it along with the pile of ribbons that were the remains of Washu's Science Academy uniform. With a sly grin, she peered down at her work, having left Washu-Chan in her under garments alone.

Ryouko pulled Washu's wrists together above her head to hold them with one hand while she sniffed at the can. She wrinkled her nose and whipped her head away, holding the can far from her nose. "Pretty potent."

Almost sneering as Washu succumbed only momentarily to her anger, she said, "I made it just for you."

Washu suddenly regretted that her creation was made to learn.

Ryouko responded by spraying a light mist into the air above Washu and held the professor still as she set the can aside, the tranquilizing air settling down over Washu's face. Washu held her breath and tried to look away but could not in the strong grip of her captor. Instantly, after a regretfully painful exhale and deep inhale, the Tranzine began targeting her synapses, slowing down the neuron transfers and ultimately any logical thought that might have served to save her. She quickly lost all ability to think straight and, even if she wanted to, could not switch to her adult form, let alone make use of her goddess powers. For the fleeting moment she could process anything worth discerning, all that got to her was the irony that stung Washu more than the acid stung her eyes. "I find that I like them young," she heard Ryouko mutter, feeling her split the bra Washu was so proud of, her chest released to the chilled air.

Ryouko peeled back the bright yellow cups, though dull in the lacking light, and gave an anticipatory smile at the sight of her soft nipples. Washu attempted to struggle just once more, still with the understanding that it was for naught and that it only earned her Ryouko's disciplining claws in her shoulder. Washu cried out and looked groggily at what was once her daughter, eyelids taking on the weight of half her laboratory.

"I, I know it's not your fault . . ."

"What's the fault?" Ryouko whispered.

"That I let you sink so low. . ."

"Oh?" Bending down, Ryouko faintly licked at Washu's earlobe before continuing her interrogation. "And who are you to me?"

"You'd never understand if you don't remember."

"I remember. I remember my master. That's all I need to remember." Washu whimpered in a wave of mental anguish, wanting for only the opportunity to hug her child close and keep her in an eternal embrace.

Moreover, she never wanted more to apologize.

Washu sadly desisted in struggling as Ryouko brought her lips down to meet her victim's. She squirmed at the attack of Ryouko's tongue in her mouth, running a wild path over her teeth and under her own. Washu closed her eyes, making herself blind to what no one should see; the painful watching was left to be done by the eyes in the touch of skin.

As a final farewell, the child felt the sharp touch of nails along her torso; she painfully detected the dance of Ryouko's hands creeping down to her more private lower-wares; and she sensed desperately the tug and break of the elastic, knowing well enough of the pinkish patch Ryouko exposed. Washu sighed bitterly but held her tongue, trying her best to be brave as the chaos swept her into depression.

Washu awoke to blackness. Then, she opened her eyes. She felt the cold sweat quickly drying off her skin. She looked to the side and saw a thin line gleaming on the can of Tranzine in the meek light, the light itself a betrayal of the heavy din outside. Pain struck the veiled one's head as she slowly sat up, still sore in the chest and legs. She wavered and skittered to the door, slamming into it after losing her balance in her daze. Quietly she followed it down to the floor, lying like a broken puppet with the desire to join creatures lucky enough to be able to escape humanoid emotions and feelings. Simply put, Washu was cold, tired and felt like shit.

"Ryouko. . ."

What have I done?

-o-

Kiyone's eyes popped open to the sight of intense fucking.

Slowly, she reached up and plucked the hentai manga from her face, flinging it somewhere across the stacks. She lay sprawled between two towering columns, a brief rectangle of light flashing with a cut of lighting at the top of the stairs. She briefly wondered why she didn't just make Nobuyuki take this place, but remembered that Washu had put him out like a light, knowing he'd probably look for Ryouko with something else in mind. She groaned at the thought, looking around at the surroundings of a litter of books and comics, a candle flickering off in a corner somewhere.

Wait a minute, that candle wasn't there the last time. . .

She hobbled to her feet, the rattle of a few pages turning in the brief fluttering through the air. She made way for the candle, despite its odd placement, in search for a small glow of safety. Stepping over pile after pile of books, she lazily made way for the wax shaft. It flickered once or twice as the breeze swirled around the room.

"That's right, Kiyone. Be adventurous. Take the darkest, scariest place there is, surrounded by _mounds_ of sexual influence." She bonked her forehead and closed her eyes, grabbing for the candle. "You're so stupid." Her eyes reopened as her fingers closed around nothing, the sputtering light of the candle gone. She stepped back, whipping her head to look down one of the aisles upon hearing the hiss of the candle being snuffed. Barely making a sound, she shot back down to the stairs in a mad dash to get up and into the house.

For some reason, she desperately wanted be with her annoying, blonde and incredibly comforting partner. She slipped on her arrival at the base of the stairs, partially by way of the hentai mag she stepped on and partially at the sight of Ryouko's wiry form at the top of the steps. Gaping, she crawled back as the pirate's silhouette slipped from sight. She was almost at her feet when a pair of bare legs and a vibration in the air stopped her cold.

"Oh God. . ."

-o-

Sasami covered her head as thunder and the screams of another person mercilessly taken down entered her ears. The shrieking had gone on for quite some time, and there was little doubt in her head that it was Kiyone's voice that was finally giving out. She peeked out from under the kitchen's center table, speckles of vegetables dotting its top from the previous meal, wishing she had a tablecloth to pull down while she curled her knees to her chin, crying gently. She felt so brave in the safety of the bath, and proving to Washu that she could handle the job somehow overrode her previous encounter with the target. The screams soon died down and a thump came from somewhere in the house. Sasami whimpered and shuddered, mindlessly clutching her can of Tranzine 023.

Closing her wet eyes for a moment, she took a deep breath in the attempt to calm herself. The sound of sticky skin off the linoleum resonating through the kitchen, however, ruined the idea as the breath caught in her throat. Sasami paled to solid white, peering daringly out from under the table as though to maybe reveal that is was the result of a horribly over-active imagination. She saw the distorted shimmers of light from rain-shielded smatterings of lightning bouncing off the floor as the ripping, velcro-ish sounds approached. The child held her breath, sweat pouring from her, trying desperately not to cry as her hope that it 'just wasn't there' was shattered. Her heart skipped a beat when the can she clutched so tightly began to slip from her increasingly slippery fingers. Her white-knuckled grasp pushed it out a little further before she could readjust her grip and the can spun into a paralyzing free fall. It fell for ages, spiraling noiselessly, its silent whistle ending with a sound like a bomb upon striking the floor. Sasami covered it with her hands, silencing it after it skittered a bit over the tiles.

The raging winds outside poured in through an open kitchen window, flowing into the cabinet. Sasami shivered furiously, covering her ears as the footsteps slowed, yet persisted. She looked back up, terrified, as suddenly, the footfalls were gone.

"Uh?" she let slip from her throat as she peered out a little further, seeing nothing but the wet, vaporizing footprints left on the floor. She sat back, then flinched, then screamed as the table top above her cracked and split down the middle. The marble counter broke like peanut brittle and the wood turned to sawdust. Sasami began scooting back and out from the cabinet, spraying wildly into the air. She shut her eyes tight as Ryouko whipped the table halves to either side of the kitchen, reaching forward to clutch the can from Sasami's trembling hand as twin crashes sounded in the room. The refrigerator dented, the door knocked off its hinges by one half, the other block cracking the sink basin. Water shot up in a perpendicular fountain, remaining enclosed in the broken fixture. Sasami backed into a cupboard panel with a thump and looked up, seeing Ryouko's grinning face emerge from the mist.

The mini-princess flinched again at the clatter of the can smashing into the floor when Ryouko tossed it behind her with a casual throw. "You guys fight so hard. . ." Ryouko said, laughed with sinister apathy, slowly moving in on her prey. Believe me; Ryouko could make sinister apathy work.

"Please don't. . ." Sasami sniffed, trying to back further into or possibly through the cupboard. Her slippered feet slid easily over the linoleum as she flailed her legs, her hands skidding slowly on the surface.

"But you, little one, are the best of all. . . You're pure and innocent. I wish to blemish you the most." Ryouko phased out, her neko-eyes seemingly hanging in the air a moment longer like the optic grin of the Cheshire Cat. Sasami gasped upon feeling something in her throat tighten as a weight seemed to press down and spread over her. Ryouko reappeared with a white flash that illuminated the room for scant moment, her damp hand tightening the grip on Sasami's neck. Ryouko traced her other hand up her own leg, cupping herself for only a moment before pushing a finger inward. She sighed briefly and leaned forward a bit as the dull shock ran through her, bringing a sleek digit back up to her face a few moments later. She grinned again and turned them, resting their tips on Sasami's quivering lips. "Have a taste. . ."

"N-no!" Sasami tried to pull down to possibly jet through the vee Ryouko made with her legs but Ryouko held fast by keeping grip on her neck. Ryouko smirked slightly, a small glittering in her eyes as she pushed her finger into Sasami's mouth, resting them on her retreating tongue. Sasami gagged slightly as Ryouko's longer fingertip reached to tickle the back of her throat.

"Don't I taste good? Don't you want more?"

Tears gleamed, their twin trails sliding on the gentle curves of Sasami's cheeks as she shook her head loosely. The droplets swiveled a bit, creating arcs and loops in their paths. Trying to ignore the tart taste of the digit circulating her mouth, the child struggled further as Ryouko pulled her fingers past her lips as Sasami let out a small whimper. "Don't do this. . . "

Ignoring her plea, the pirate bent down, letting her hot breath roll over the princess's face. "I want to know what you taste like, too. . ." Ryouko bent over Sasami's face, gratuitously licking the flat of her forehead, picking up a few salty droplets of sweat. It lightened, running down the side of her face where perspiration began mingling with tears. Finally, her tongue arrived upon the princess's mouth. Not allowing her any more time to protest, Ryouko pushed her tongue down, connecting with Sasami's wet lips. Ryouko's captive screamed a muffled objection, trying desperately to push away. A small laugh stirred in her sultry-toned throat as she relaxed her grip on Sasami's neck, slipping her tongue into the child's forced-open mouth. The little girl cried futilely, pulling her own muscle back and away from the vigorous search. She shuddered upon hearing Ryouko groan delightedly, feeling her run her tongue over her teeth, lips and mouth's interior.

The pirate pulled away, Sasami feeling a hot flush come over her face. "More?" Ryouko mused just above a whisper, letting the hand that lay upon her neck slide down over Sasami's chest, squeezing lightly.

"No. . ."

"Why not?"

"Please, duh-don't. . ."

"Doesn't it feel good?"

"N-no! It feels fuh-funny. . ."

"You'll like it. . ."

"Why are you doing this to me," the girl sobbed quietly, each word broken, as Ryouko moved back in, kissing her neck.

"Because I can." She moved back up, pushing her tongue through Sasami's lips, grinning victoriously when she found Sasami's own. She pulled at it, faintly tasting herself in the little one's mouth. A louder, deeper moan erupted from Ryouko as the chilled air from outside ran over her hot form, her skin steaming in the cool room. Sasami's tears splashed down and touched Ryouko's hand as it slid its path away from her chest and downward. Sasami sobbed out, trying vainly to dig grips into the floor with her scrambling fingers as Ryouko leaned in, grinning as the hand below beginning to press.

The room become ablaze in white light as bolts outside neared their tirade. Another came in quick succession, illuminating the room for far longer than it should have, pouring a shadow over Ryouko's features as she suddenly pulled back with a scream. Deep within, the old Ryouko also burst, suppressed fears racing out in this new, deadly and amorphous form. Sasami dropped back, limp, the forever-drawn lightning keeping Ryouko as a tall silhouette as she stood unsteadily, clutching her head in a whipping torrent. Sasami saw the flash of her teeth as she screamed again, falling back into the stove, denting the paneling as she crumpled into a heap.

_Crack!_ Lightning.

Sasami sighed painfully, sliding down the cupboard door to lie flatly on the floor, slowly bringing her hand up to her sore chest. She lifted her head, seeing Ryouko flinch slightly. Sasami groaned, setting her head back down as it was assaulting with hammering pain. As the mark on her forehead finally stopped glowing, her blurred vision registered another chord of lightning. When she looked up again, Ryouko was just a ghost lingering in her memory.

-o-

Washu drearily opened her eyes again as the split of lightning resounded outside, a miserable harbinger of things unspeakable. That, and energy, too. She got to her feet, grimacing as her bones cracked and cricked momentarily. She reached around for her sliced clothing and dressed the best she could in silence, dealing quietly with the split in her front. Pulling it closed she sighed raggedly, a small wind creeping in to send shivers up her arms and down her back. She leaned back against the door, thinking furiously with eyes shut tight.

Opening her eyes against the muggy swell of the room, she could make out the faint shapes in the small shed. Seeing the Tranzine, she picked it up and lazily rolled it over in her hand. The sleepy crab symbol on the front began to stand out, a beacon of irony. "My own product used on me," she thought aloud grimly. Narrowing her eyes, she turned on a foot, kicking the door open with the heel of her Academy shoe, nary moved an inch by the back-surge of powerful winds as she stood in its path with her leg settling back in place. The door cracked against its own side as the hinges squeaked and whined, the winds teetering the door. Washu's eyes remained in slits as she stepped out, racing around the house against the batter of the winds.

-o-

Tenchi blinked. While dim, he could see that the floor seemed awfully far away. If this were his room, he certainly didn't recall that light fixture. Looking up, he wondered why the ceiling was so well boarded and smooth. Bringing a hand up to his forehead he closed his eyes, feeling very, very confused. He reopened them to look back down, seeing his feet hobbled over the edge of his bed where half of his comforter had slid, the rest of it pooled on the floor next to him. He sighed, glad that physics remained sane in the Masaki household.

"Ow," the boy muttered. "Oh man, my head. . . Pain, pain, pain. . ." Tenchi slothfully got to his feet as the darkness began to set in. Forms in the room began to take familiar shape as he half-assedly checked himself over for injury. Looking to where he was once sprawled, he saw his Tranzine waiting patiently where he had been, probably having been lodged in his back, and bent down to scoop it up, slowly making way to the dark doorframe upon righting his self. Tenchi froze upon hearing a thump, reeling around viciously fast after a crash sounded near the corner by his bed and shelves. Not waiting for further confirmation, he slid his hand up the wall as he readied his can. His fingers ran over the light switch, bringing blinding light to the room.

_Crack!_ The lightning died down as the room light took over, a scream swirling jagged circles around the room.

"Waugh!" Tenchi cried as Mihoshi's shrill shriek pounded his eardrums. Short bursts of screaming came until he made his way over, covering her mouth with a hand. "Shh!" he whispered harshly, bringing her over to sit on the uncovered edge of his bed. She looked up to him, breathing heavily as he slowly removed his hand.

"Tenchi!" she exclaimed when she finally registered him. She grasped him tightly, making him gag slightly.

"Relax, Mihoshi!" he croaked, the threat of passing out in his waning voice.

"Oh! Sorry. . ." She let go, her hands slipping back down to her sides before clasping each other on her lap. He nodded, stepping back slightly, where he painfully heard and moreover felt a sharp crack under his feet. He looked down, wincing.

"Ow!" he hopped, scrambling over to sit on the bed and tend to his foot. "What's this?" he mumbled, bending down to pick up a piece of the burst lamp Mihoshi had knocked over in nervous anxiety.

"Sorry Tenchi. I was just really scared. . ."

"What're you even doing up here? I thought you were helping Kiyone. . ."

Mihoshi's unhindered whimpering slowed him as she absently reached around for his hand. "Yuh-yeah, we kinda got separated. . . I ran in here to hide when. . . I heard her screaming. . ."

He gasped, grabbing her hands to pull her up. "She's in trouble?"

She shook her head. "That was at least an hour ago. . . I've been too petrified to move. . ." Tenchi's ears perked at the sound of a door sliding open. He pulled her along towards the steps, reaching back into the room to shut off his light and get his Tranzine.

"Let's go."

-o-

Washu tore the house's door open, reeling back at the heavy, intense blast of pheromones and the scent of sex lingering in the air. On the second floor she heard the rush and shuffle of feet as they made way for the stairs. She lifted her can, preparing to phase into a half-mode until the two sets of feet made their appearance. When their faces came into view they both yelped, falling back against the stairs and consequently tumbling down into the hallway.

"Ow. . ."

"Ouchie. . ."

"Hi guys!" Washu said, soaked and smiling as she stepped up from the house's front entrance. She stepped back for a moment and slipped off her shoes, a bit of relief coming over her as the squishy, soggy feeling left her cold feet.

"Wuh-Washu. . . now's not the time. . ." Tenchi sputtered.

Her almost cheerful grin quickly left her as the hand clutching her wear-halves together relaxed a bit. "I. . . I know. . ."

"It was the hair," Mihoshi finally confirmed, nodding. "Scary." She glanced down, seeing the heavy split and got to her feet. Motioning to her own chest, she spoke. "What happened here?"

"I fell," Washu replied in a taciturn voice.

"Washu," Tenchi said quietly, glancing back to Mihoshi, "Kiyone's. . . she's been. . ."

The scientist sighed, nodding. "She isn't the only one." Looking back up, she saw the questioning stares of the two housemates. "I mean Ayeka, too, of course. Let's go." Glancing back down she shifted past, making way for the stairs again. Mihoshi stopped them.

"Wait." She merely pointed to the kitchen, where the sound of the faucet filled their ears. How long had that been on? Washu nodded and walked first. Tenchi gave a worried glance to Mihoshi who went ahead of him. She shrugged in response as she turned back to follow Washu, where instead she toppled over her.

"Waugh!" Washu cried as she fell to the slick linoleum. She looked up wearily, seeing rain pour in from an open window, puddles growing on the floor. She winced, feeling the weight of both Tenchi and Mihoshi on her back. "Get off!" she bellowed irritably.

Tenchi recovered, almost embarrassed as he pulled himself up and off Mihoshi's backside. Blushing, he got to his feet, grabbing his head to stop it from spinning while the defiant room kept up its twirl. Looking about as it slowed, Tenchi paled as his gaze connected with a flat body lying on the floor. He muttered something indiscreet, stumbling back into the hallway where he fell against the stairs near Washu's door. He grasped his stomach, gripping where the ledge of the stair above stuck out over his head. "Oh, my God. . ."

Mihoshi and Washu got to their feet, Washu pushing the blonde's frozen stance towards Tenchi as she slowly walked up to the still form. Kneeling down, she picked Sasami up, cradling her weak and limp body at the shoulders and knees. The water gurgled in the sink noisily, curiously. "We've got to end this. . ." She turned to the two who had re-entered unsteadily and disbelievingly. "I'll take care of Sasami. Tenchi: it's up to you to stop Ryouko."

"What about me?" Mihoshi asked.

"Tenchi, like I said. . ." A door to the onsen appeared, willed there by the spark of a goddess. "Go before more are hurt, Tenchi. At this rate, there won't be many left."

"But what about Kiyone!" Mihoshi cried out, stepping a bit closer.

"I'll be back for her."

Mihoshi sniffled and allowed her tears to spill as Washu vanished from sight. "Kiyone. . ."

"Mihoshi, we can't do this now, we've gotta hurry. There isn't much time left before she finds one of us.

"But Tenchi, you don't understand!" she cried, looking to him with shimmering eyes. "Kiyone's my best friend! I love her; she's always been there for me!"

Tenchi sighed furtively and held his arms out to embrace her tightly. "She and we all love you, too. We'll at least go get her, don't worry. We won't leave her behind." He stepped back, holding her by the shoulders at arms length. "C'mon." They stepped warily back through the kitchen and into the living room where rain skittled against the pains of glass at an aggressive, intrusive angle. From somewhere, a draft swept through, chilling them both as thunder rolled in the background. "Do you know where you two got split up?"

"It was around upstairs, actually. I think-"

_Bang!_

"What was that!" Mihoshi cried, hopping slightly before pressing into Tenchi's ill-prepared stance. He swallowed a bit, turning to look up the stairs.

"The library door. . ."

-o-

The black portal shredded its way into the serenity of the onsen for the most ephemeral of moments, allowing Washu's deeply thoughtful entrance. She carried Sasami over to where Ayeka continued to heal, bathed in a quiet, quickly flowing waterfall. Gently, she set Sasami down on the slightly damn wooden floor and disrobed her, setting her nearby to Ayeka to clean her off with the onsen's refreshing waters.

"Damnit," she muttered, lighting running her worn but delicate fingers – (from years of playing it) like a mother's touch - along Sasami's thin arm. Washu lifted her hand up to rub at her eye for a second or two as she wagered on whether to just stay hidden in the onsen or not.

Too bad for her more cowardly side that she had too strong a will.

She draped a towel around Sasami, pressing her hand lightly to her little friend's forehead. From her kneel Washu stood, backing away as a portal ripped open behind her. She took a final look at the sisters before disappearing into the ethereal beyond and back on the tangible plane.

-o-

Mihoshi and Tenchi stared down into the darkness of the forbidding and now desolate library, fearing immensely what they might find. Aside from any fetish comics Tenchi's mind recalled, that is. Mihoshi took a tentative step down, but quickly hopped back like a child retreating from cold water, whimpering as she hid behind Tenchi. He sighed and descended, grabbing her shaking hand. "Fine, I'll go first. . ."

"Have you ever seen that movie _Scream_?"

".. . Mihoshi, now's not the time."

"I don't wanna die, Tenchi!"

"Look, it was an American movie. They exaggerate everything. Just stop thinking about it, okay?"

"Oh. . . okay." There was a pause as he pulled Mihoshi along, feeling his hand quake with her quivering. "Did you ever see-"

"No. I didn't. You're starting to make _me_ shake, Mihoshi. Cut it out, would you?"

"Sorry, Tuh-Tenchi. . ."

"Man, it's dark," he muttered, groping above on the shelf for a spare flashlight. His fingertips slipped past it as his hand came in contact with a tin of matches, precariously balanced on the ledge. The fairly large container, as though shoved rudely off its balance, tipped and before he could ready himself, Tenchi felt the tin drop stealthily through the air. He and Mihoshi cried out as the can banged loudly off the steps, resonating throughout the entire book room in a deep and vibrating echo. They both hopped at the magnified sounds as Tenchi clutched the ledge above him to keep from an unbalanced fall, the flashlight in his grasp.

Silently, he grimaced in horror while Mihoshi stood still next to him, trying to get her wits back about her as the flashlight rolled under his grip and caused his hand to slip off the shelf. With a sharp cry, he fell back off the last few steps, clutching the flashlight and the hem of Mihoshi's shirt. Totally unprepared, Mihoshi too toppled forward, tumbling a short distance to land hard on top of a pile of comics in the guise of Tenchi, who groaned with a throbbing headache; his back sore from the flat landing. He turned his head to his right, where the flashlight that was in his hand rolled free and moved across the floor, celestially powered. It bathed boxes, shelves and crates in light, subliming slight and vague memories. However, the undiluted memory of the current and lurking danger presented itself as the light continued to roll, seeming to slow like time when it washed over Kiyone's bound body sitting alone at the end of the aisle. There was a clink as the flashlight's body hit a small pebble in the room, stopping it, leaving the spotlight to sit on the girl in a sickening display. She was propped against the wall, her bathing used to bind her hands behind her back. Her knees were knocked, her feet spread apart. A candle sat nearby.

"Oh, _fuck_," Tenchi whispered.

Mihoshi quickly sobered out of her daze as she turned to look, shrieking when her eyes fell upon her victimized partner. "_Kiyone_!" she gasped harshly, covering her hands with her mouth.

The lack of support from her arms focused more weight on Mihoshi torso, which in turn rested atop Tenchi's abdomen. He grimaced, rolling her over to his left side, preparing to console her as she began shaking.

"Tenchi. . ." she muttered weakly.

". . . I know, Mihoshi. . ."

She shook her head meekly, pointing upwards as though she'd so quickly forgotten her search and what it surfaced, her pupils minimizing despite the lack of light. "Tuh-Tenchi. . ." He turned to look, feeling his stomach flip again when his eyes fell upon the dark, almost hidden figure at the top of the stairs. Flashes of lightning outlined spiked hair and gave hints to a devilish grin.

The shadow did not flinch.

Mihoshi fell into a faint, her convulsions ended.

"Washu?" Tenchi asked weakly. Even he knew of Ryouko's immense dislike of lightning and somewhere inside, he figured that maybe the fates allowed that the shadow wouldn't be the manifestation of terror that swarmed over the Masaki household. Of course, he was still logical, and figured that whatever idiosyncrasies came with the old Ryouko who groped him morning, noon and night, the one who bickered to no end with her friend Ayeka, the one whom Washu called a disgrace and a beautiful child all in one and the one whom Sasami called a role model; that all that had been erased with the coming of a Ryouko so far displaced it was safe to say that it was not, in fact, her.

The shadow laughed as another flash lit up her tightly clothed form. Her golden eyes shimmered with mayhem as her grim smile revealed her sickening fangs. Agreeably so, it was also not Washu. Tenchi began to sweat, grasping around for what he knew was inevitably a futile gesture, not needing the light of the sun or the glow of a match to know who it was.

Ryouko's grin broadened. "My master is coming."

-o-

Washu tore reality a new one for only a moment when she ripped a portal open in the damp and oddly humid kitchen. Stepping out, she grunted and dropped to her knees as the doorway behind snapped shut with a brief shimmer in the space/time plane. She felt crushed. One hand came up, rubbing her aching head.

"The hell. . . ?" she mumbled weakly.

The weighty atmosphere tried to battle her to the ground but Washu slipped to her knees and into a kneeling position before she stood firm and got back to her feet. Racing at her with the glide of permanent memories was the realization that it was coming.

It. . .

In a flash of white light she knew - knew it wasn't a simple maelstrom, knew it hid the spite of ages, knew it was the mark of her daughter's bane - and reached back to grasp the edge of the stove.

In the name of her forsaken, Washu wasted not a tear and with the advent of powers she recalled with fervor, vanished from the plane.

-o-

Katsuhito opened his eyes, made a prayer, and left into the rain.

-o-

Ayeka stirred, feeling a pounding tempest swirl around in her throbbing head. It was so loud and so focused for such a large torrent. It came from everywhere, but it came mostly from above. Oh what a terrible sound it was. . . it echoed throughout the entire onsen and reverberated back through her shaken form.

Ow. . .

She sat up quickly, looking around. Of course she remembered what had happened. She lurched forward, shuddering as she hugged her knees tightly to her; as though trying to press them to her to warm her crystal-coated frigid insides. "Ryouko. . ." she whispered.

What horrified her more was the idea her sister was still in danger. Of course, not to mention Tenchi, the blonde and the others. Jumping to her feet, scowling with indignation to pain that stabbed her sides and legs, she moved forward to the pile of clothing she saw set out. Not bothering to dry off, she pulled on only her inner kimono, shifting uncomfortably as the inner layer adhered to her wet, shapely form.

Things went out of focus for a moment as she suddenly felt weak in the knees; probably from just having hopped up. Sitting down on a rock near to her clothing, she began panting, still neither used to being able to move nor to the sudden shift to the tropics of the onsen. Oddly enough, she shivered again, remembering flashes of green brought on by drooping, swaying flora.

She remembered seeing Ryouko go after poor little Sasami and the blinding, even deafening, crash that followed; then nothing. Ayeka pulled the short edge of sleeves back, expecting to see a multitude of scratches and cuts riding up and over her shoulder but only saw mere traces of blood and abrasions. She could only assume, and rightly so, that Washu had something to do with it. Looking back to the waters in the idea that perhaps she should further wash away her slightly oozing bruises, she cried out, hopping back to her feet. Pain shot up her spine but she took no notice as she rushed over to where Sasami lie, water soaking halfway up the lower part of her wares. She trembled, kneeling down, feeling the water take place high on her thigh as she gently cradled Sasami's head in her lap. "Oh God. . . Sasami. . ." Ayeka laid her hand across Sasami's cheek, tears forming and blurring her vision. She whispered softly to the gods above as she looked down, rage stratified throughout her voice.

Her pained body and personal inflictions be damned. To hurt another so young, so innocent and so very undeserving would not go without consequence. On this Ayeka swore, her fist tightening to a white-fleshed grip. Hands trembling, she pulled Sasami close as she continued her promise, softly chanting in the name of the fallen, dark eyes cast to the darker skies.

"I will murder that demon. . ."

The heavens heard her so.


End file.
